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This book explores the vital but neglected issue of elections in the French Revolution. Based on extensive research in different regions of France, it is the only general survey to examine the full range of local and national contests, from the Estates General to the advent of Napoleon. Focusing on electoral behaviour, it reveals a fascinating experiment with a quasi-universal suffrage, which established enduring features of French elections. The retention of the traditional practice of voting in assemblies, and a refusal to acknowledge candidates, canvassing and competing political parties, inhibited the emergence of a pluralistic electoral culture. Nonetheless, frequent polling offered unprecedented political opportunities to millions. This revolutionary apprenticeship in democracy left a lasting imprint on the development of modern French citizenship.
Democracy is perhaps the defining characteristic of modern Western society, but even as late as the nineteenth century it was often viewed with suspicion by many who saw it as akin to anarchy and mob rule. It was not until the French and American revolutions of the eighteenth century that electoral democracy began to gain momentum as a serious force, which was eventually to shape political discourse on a broad, international scale. Taking as its focus the French Revolution, this book explores how the experience in France influenced the emergence of electoral democracy, arguing - contrary to recent revisionist studies - that it was indeed the progenitor of modern representative democracy. Rejecting the revisionist semiotic approach to political culture; it instead adopts a definition emphasizing the shared values that govern political behavior, arguing that the Revolution's essential contribution to modern political culture is its concept of citizenship, embracing widespread political participation. In a broader sense, the book studies the grass-roots democracy, focusing on participation in the primary and secondary electoral assemblies. It is primarily concerned with electoral behavior and practices: how can we explain the electoral process and its results? It analyzes electoral procedures and practices, and voter turnout, based on extensive quantitative data. While focused on political history, this work also examines political sociology, giving careful attention to the occupational composition of elected officials. While acknowledging the democratic shortcomings of the French Revolution (the absence of political parties, electoral campaigns, and declared candidates), the book’s comprehensive study of revolutionary elections concludes that, together with its American counterpart, the French Revolution did indeed give birth to modern electoral democracy. As such, this book is essential reading for historians, political scientists, sociologists and readers inte
The right to vote in regular elections is a fundamental principle of democracy. It constitutes a familiar civic ritual all over the world, yet few participants are probably aware of its long and controversial history. This was especially true of France, the country chosen for this study, which explores a wide range of issues surrounding voting in the context of a specific society. Casting a ballot does not come naturally and learning to vote is a lengthy process, like the achievement of free and fair elections which are open to all adults. An unprecedented experiment with mass voting for males was initiated in France in 1789, only for recurrent upheaval to ensure that the question of who could vote, including women besides men, and how they did so, was frequently addressed and amended. The entire electoral system was a constant source of partisan conflict, popular protest and innovation, throwing issues around the franchise, electoral corruption, spoiling papers and the problem of non-voting into especially sharp focus. This is the first book to explore these practices in a comprehensive fashion, from the perspective of ordinary people, beginning before the French Revolution and concluding with the present day, while according significant space to local as well as national elections. A thematic analysis will assist an understanding of those countries where democracy remains in its infancy, while also offering insight into widespread contemporary concern over declining turnout.
Excerpt from French Electoral Systems and Elections Since 1789 Mr. Peter Campbell has written a detailed study of French electoral systems. He is an impartial student who has been sparing in comment and interpretation. The later chapters in which he gives a very thorough account of the changes in French electoral systems are severely factual and historical. But his text enables us to Judge the value of the different voting systems that can make or mar democratic government. In order to understand the most important changes in French electoral systems one must insist very strongly on the various constitutional experiments which France underwent between the years 1789 and 1848. The election of the States General in 1789 was largely based on the system in force in the year 1614, which was the last occasion on which the States General had been summoned. The most important new provision was that of the strength of the three estates. The clergy and the nobility were to have 300 deputies each and the Third Estate 600. It was the only free election that France had up till the revolution of 1848: the government applied no pressure and Sponsored no candidates. I have always felt that if only the Government had insisted that the Assembly should consist of two houses, the one embracing both the nobles and the clergy and the other the third estate, the result of the French Revolution might have been very different. The two houses would have acted as a check upon one another, and this, as Montesquieu had pointed out in his famous Esprit a'es Lois, was the principal merit of the British constitution which he had studied minutely. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The French Revolution, politics and the modern nation -- French and the civilizing mission -- Paris and magnetic appeal -- France stirs up the melting pot -- France hurtles into the future.
*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading As one of the seminal social revolutions in human history, the French Revolution holds a unique legacy, especially in the West. The early years of the Revolution were fueled by Enlightenment ideals, seeking the social overthrow of the caste system that gave the royalty and aristocracy decisive advantages over the lower classes. But history remembers the French Revolution in a starkly different way, as the same leaders who sought a more democratic system while out of power devolved into establishing an incredibly repressive tyranny of their own once they acquired it. The French Revolution was a turbulent period that lasted several years, and one of the most famous events of the entire revolution came near the beginning with the Tennis Court Oath. By July of 1788, King Louis XVI agreed to call the Estates-General, a large, traditional legislative body, for the first time since 1614. The country's finances, already quite tenuous, reached a crisis stage in August 1788 as France faced bankruptcy. In March 1789, the electoral method was set. While the nobility and clergy would hold direct elections, the much larger Third Estate would elect representatives from each district who would then attend larger assemblies to elect their official representatives to the Third Estate of the Estates-General. Finally, in the spring of 1789, Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General. They were to convene at Versailles on April 27, but did not do so until May 5. Late elections continued into the summer as conditions around the country delayed many elections. At the same time, bread prices reached an all-time high, leading to riots throughout the country, particularly in Paris. During the formal ritual that welcomed the Estates-General on May 4, 1789, in a precursor of things to come in the following months, the Third Estate refused to kneel before the king. The deputies of the Third Estate came before the king, walking two at a time, and bowed before Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Not surprisingly, those witnessing the parade of the Estates-General had hoped for reform but came to expect that the Estates-General would serve as a tool of the administration. Unaware of why the National Assembly was closed off, and faced with the loss of their usual meeting place, the National Assembly laid claim to an unused indoor tennis court at Versailles for their meetings, which continued throughout the weekend of June 20, 1789. The king's actions were viewed as an act of despotism, renewing the spirit of the Assembly. Together, all of the deputies of the National Assembly, took an oath, commonly referred to as the Tennis Court Oath, in which they vowed to remain in session until "the constitution of the Realm and public regeneration are established and assured." On June 22, the Royal Session was postponed and the Assembly met again in the tennis court. They welcomed the clergy to the National Assembly, as decided on June 19. With some joy, they also greeted three noblemen from the Estates-General who had chosen to join the National Assembly. The stage was set for a confrontation between the king and the National Assembly, and within a month, the Bastille would be stormed, leading to widespread riots. The French Revolution had begun in earnest. The Tennis Court Oath: The History and Legacy of the National Assembly's Pivotal Meeting at the Beginning of the French Revolution analyzes the history and legacy of one of the French Revolution's seminal events. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Tennis Court Oath like never before.