De l'universalisme constituant aux intérêts locaux : le débat sur la formation des départements en France (1789-1790) - article ; n°6 ; vol.41, pg 1193-1213

Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations - Année 1986 - Volume 41 - Numéro 6 - Pages 1193-1213
From Constituant Universalism to Local Interests: The Debate Over the Creation of Departments in France (1789-1790). M.-V. Ozouf-Marignier.
The cutting up of France into departments, begun in Fall 1789, led to social and political unity and equality. Controversy arose in the National Assembly when the project was proposed, setting deputies hostile to dismembering the provinces off against constitution committee members promoting uniformization. The weight of the dominant ideology (and, most importantly, of the unitary doctrine) impeded those favoring particularist policies from expressing themselves freely. Arguments favoring the provinces' autonomy were based on geographic and philosophical considerations which dissimulated true political stakes. Parliamentary unanimity formed around a determinism which viewed the rational organization of space as the key to an ideal society, but there was no cognizance of the territory's real organization or of its actors. On a local level, however, the notables' clamoring manifested the French 's serious dissatisfaction with the disruption of the spatial orientation of their political, social and economic relationships and of urban infrastructure in particular. Revindications were rampant, and their arguments revealed both the importance of the stakes and the nature of the elites' mental tools. The elites, usually wanting solidarity and established power relations to be respected, also seized the occasion to modify these relations to further their own interests. In this way they deflected the aims of the initial project.
21 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.