Elections in the French Revolution : an apprenticeship in democracy, 1789-1799
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Bibliographic Information
Elections in the French Revolution : an apprenticeship in democracy, 1789-1799
Cambridge University Press, 1996
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Note
Bibliography: p. 197-216
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
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.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Subjects to citizens? The elections to the Estates General and the Revolution
- 2. The limits of citizenship: the Franchise question, 1789-91
- 3. Biting on the ballot: from enthusiasm to abstention, 1790-1
- 4. One man one vote? The experiment with electoral democracy in 1792
- 5. Voting the constitution: the referenda of 1793 and 1795
- 6. Parties, schisms and purges: elections under the Directory, 1795-9
- 7. An invisible aristocracy? The departmental assemblies and the emergence of a new political class
- Conclusion.
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