Pamphlets & public opinion

the long version

In the months leading up to the French Revolution, both the royal government and its opposition relied upon pamphleteers to sway public opinion, and the number of published pamphlets reached truly astounding proportions in late 1788 and early 1789 when debate intensified on the proper method of organizing the newly recalled Estates General. Kenneth Margerison examines this pamphlet literature in an effort to determine the ideological bases upon which pamphleteers tried to influence public opinion and, ultimately, the political structure of France. He reaches the unexpected conclusion that a relatively conservative political program held wide appeal for public opinion and provided a foundation that enabled its adherents to wield influence in the National Assembly during the summer of 1789.