The French Revolution and the Birth of Electoral Democracy

382 Pages·2014·2.34 MB·English

by  Melvin Allen Edelstein

The French revoluTion and The BirTh
oF elecToral democracy
Frontispiece (a) assemblée electorale of the department of Paris in 1790.
courtesy of the Bibliotheque nationale, France
Frontispiece (b) charles lambert, Essai sur la formation des assemblées populaires
The French revolution and the
Birth of electoral democracy
melvin edelsTein
© melvin edelstein 2014
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
melvin edelstein has asserted his right under the copyright, designs and Patents act, 1988,
to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing company
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
edelstein, melvin allen.
The French revolution and the birth of electoral democracy / by melvin edelstein.
pages cm
includes index.
isBn 978-1-4094-5471-7 (hardcover) – isBn 978-1-4094-5472-4 (ebook) –
isBn 978-1-4724-0699-6 (epub) 1. elections – France – history – 18th century. 2.
suffrage – France – history – 18th century. 3. democracy – France – history – 18th
century. 4. republicanism – France – history – 18th century. 5. France – Politics and
government – 1789-1799. 6. France – history – revolution, 1789-1799 – influence.
i. Title.
Jn2468.e44 2014
324.944'04–dc23
2013021099
isBn 9781409454717 (hbk)
isBn 9781409454724 (ebk – PdF)
isBn 9781472406996 (ebk – ePuB)
V
Printed in the united Kingdom by henry ling limited,
at the dorset Press, dorchester, dT1 1hd
For Marilyn and Elizabeth
I want to thank my wife and daughter who accompanied me on my tour de France.
This book has appeared thanks to their love and patience.
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Contents
List of Maps ix
List of Tables xi
Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
1 The Elections to the Estates General 11
2 Subjects into Citizens 43
3 The First Municipal Elections 75
4 The First Cantonal Elections 109
5 The Emergence of a New Political Elite in 1790 135
6 Revolutionary Electoral Culture and the Dynamics of
Voting in Assemblies 167
7 Elections of the Justices of the Peace 191
8 The Elections of June 1791 for the First National Legislature 209
9 The Elections of June and August–September 1791 and the
Renewal of the Political Personnel 233
10 The Establishment of the First French Republic 259
11 Ratification of the Constitutions of 1793 and 1795 289
12 The Transformation of Electoral Politics in the Directory and
Napoleonic Periods 317
viii The French Revolution and the Birth of Electoral Democracy
Conclusion 333
Appendix I: Turnout in the Vote for the Mayors of the Department
Capitals in the First Municipal Elections of 1790 343
Appendix II: Turnout in the Vote for the Mayors of the Department
Capitals in November 1791 347
Selected Further Reading 351
Index of Names 355
Index of Places 359
List of Maps
4.1 Turnout in the cantonal elections of 1790 120
8.1 Turnout in the cantonal elections of June 1791 218
9.1 Political geography of the Feuillants in the Legislative Assembly 253
9.2 Political geography of the Jacobins in the Legislative Assembly 255
11.1 Turnout in the vote on the Constitution of 24 June 1793 300