Education and the sans-culottes in the French Revolution

Abstract

This paper deals with educational views of the sansculottes (common urban dwellers), especially, with those expressed during the years 1793 and 1794--a period in which there were strong manifestations of popular sentiment. It begins with a general survey of educational conditions during the ancien regime and then shifts to a brief discussion of the principal programs offered during the early stages of the Revolution when bourgeois spokesmen were in control. From a sketch of the instructional system as it existed until June 1793-- the point at which men who enjoyed popular support gained control of the government --the emphasis of this study moves to a discussion of the educational characteristics and goals of the Parisian populace . Finally, a considerable portion of this essay is devoted to a review of the plans that were proposed in the Convention. An important segment of this thesis deals with the state of the schools on the eve of the Revolution. It reveals that the program was marked by many severe limitations and that it did not meet the fundamental needs of the urban dwellers. A review of the schools as they existed in 1789 indicates that they offered little hope to the common people for improvement in their social conditions or in their economic state. Reflecting the great changes that began to occur in the political system in 1789 , this study focuses its attention on the transfer of the authority over the schools from the hands of ecclesiastical leaders to those of the state. It summarizes important moves in the shift in power and , in addition, reviews, from the viewpoint of the urban masses, three noteworthy instructional plans suggested by spokesmen of the bourgeoisie. An examination of the general educational goals of the sans-culottes forms the basis for another part of this paper. Along with describing their objectives and characteristics, it examines two plans which, to a marked degree, reflect the sentiments of the common people. The projects of Lepeletier , a martyred hero of the urbanites, and Bouquier, a delegate to the Convention from Dordogne, whose work was enacted into law, are presented as examples of the educational needs and desires of the poorer urban population. In July 1794 , control of the government by representatives of the little people came to an end; however, their period in power was long enough for an observer to formulate several generalizations concerning their views on education . In examining their accomplishments and aspirations, it becomes clear that they were keenly interested in instruction and that they jealously guarded their right to control their schools. In addition, the findings of this study indicate that, although the common people were confident in the value of manual training , they did not intentionally seek to ruin the arts and sciences nor to destroy intellectuals per se.