The Debate on the Role of Orders in France, 1787–1789.

The article examines the complex and evolving role of the three orders of the kingdom—the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners—during the early phase of the French Revolution, particularly from the opening of the Estates General in May 1789 to the abolition of orders in October 1789. It highlights that while the orders were central to the political deadlock over voting procedures, there was little hostility toward the orders themselves; rather, conflict centered on whether voting should be by order or by head. The article details how the orders persisted within the National Assembly even after the union of orders in June 1789 and were only abolished indirectly through electoral reforms in October, a move that dismantled centuries-old social structures and paved the way for significant revolutionary changes, including the reorganization of the Church and the suppression of nobility. The abolition of orders, though understated at the time, had profound consequences, both unifying the nation under the identity of equal citizens and simultaneously deepening divisions that influenced the Revolution's trajectory.