University Studies 



Vol. XIV JULY 1914 No. 3 



THE OPENING OF THE STATES GENERAL OF 1789 



AND THE FIRST PHASE OF THE STRUGGLE 



BETV^EEN THE ORDERS 



BY MAE DARLING 



THE OPENING CEREMONIES OF THE STATES GENERAL 



The opening of the states general had been set for April 27, 

 1789. When that day arrived, however, instead of calling the 

 deputies together for their first session, the king issued a decree 

 stating that as all the deputies, especially those of Paris, were not 

 present, the formal opening of the states general would not take 

 place until May 4.^ The struggle which the government had made 

 against the calling of the states general, and the length of time 

 that had been consumed in preparing for their meeting after they 

 had been summoned, had aroused the impatience of the people. 

 The majority of the deputies had at length been elected, however, 

 and had gathered at Versailles, ready for the opening on April 

 2y. Deeply impressed with the evils which were burdening their 



^ Biauzat, Correspondance, II, 11; Journal des etats-generaux, I, i; 

 Mercure de France, III, 9 mai, 1789, Journal politique de Bruxelles, 74. 

 The correspondence of Biauzat is a series of letters written by this deputy, 

 who was a member of the third estate, to his constituents. The Journal 

 des etats-generaux was not pubhshed from the beginning of the estates 

 general. On page 206 of volume i, after the account of the royal session 

 of June twenty-third, this foot-note is found : " Nous donnerons incessam- 

 ment ce qui s'est passe aux etats, depuis le commencement jusqu'au pre- 

 mier juin," indicating that up to this time no account had been published 

 by the editors of events before the first of June. 



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