Les idées politiques paysannes : étude comparée des cahiers de doléances (1576-1789) - article ; n°4 ; vol.37, pg 717-728

Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations - Année 1982 - Volume 37 - Numéro 4 - Pages 717-728
The basic demands of 16 th century villagers were absent from the cahiers de doléances of 1 789. The demands that did persist and still took up a considerable amount of space focused on three subjects of enduring concern : taxation, the nobility, and the economy. But the language in which those issues were discussed had undergone a deep change. Over two centuries, the cultural level of the cahiers had improved, and one can thus measure the intellectual strenghtening of the notables who were writing in the name of the community of inhabitants. Political attitudes had also changed. The men of 1 789 called for a greater number of fundamental reforms than had their 16th century predecessors, but their projects were primarily concerned with taxation and seigneurial power, whereas in the 16 th century it was social relations that had been the object of the most radical attacks. Between 1576 and 1789, the protest movement and the advocates of a moderate monarchy gained ground over those who merely wished to correct the imperfections of the Ancien Régime.
12 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.