A growing sense of unity within the country foreshadowed the nationalism expressed during the revolution. Nationalism developed during the subsequent French Revolution as a driving force within revolutionary governments. This emerging national consciousness was expressed in the General Cahiers of 1789. These were a compilation of the cahiers de doléances, or lists of grievances, submitted by every electoral assembly throughout France. There was a marked similarity among the généralités’ (the administrative divisions of France) demands. Even within the three rival estates, many expressed the same fundamental goals and desires…
While there was a desire to keep the traditions and the culture of France, there was also a desire to break with parts of tradition. From this framework came a new political culture of unity and continuity. Constant references to the ‘new;’ the Nation, the community, and the general will, helped create a stronger sense of national purpose within France. These revolutionary values and emerging symbols became powerful because so many people from different parts of the nation began to act on them. They brought about a revolutionary culture that was distinct from that of the Ancient Regime.39 These Revolutionary practices also incorporated the traditions of the large populations from the provinces that resided in Paris and surrounding cities. Revolutionary culture was unique in that it combined both urban and rural traditions.
Politics frequently reflect the current cultural and social climate; a changing Revolutionary culture was also reflected in a change in political thinking. Influence from Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the ideology of the American Revolution, came to bear upon politics at the beginning of the French Revolution. Some of the political and social questions that arose during the revolution were, how to balance the power of the individual within society, what that meant for society, and how does one reconcile a loss of individual freedom within the benefits of an established state.40
