2004, Vol., No.10

Korean Review of French History 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.67

pISSN : 1229-702X
https://journal.kci.go.kr/krfh

Medieval cities encompassed various kinds of professional associations. In 13-14 century Amiens, masters and journeymen were organized in the form of ‘association for election’ named ‘bannière’. Bannière was not an exclusive organization against outsiders, neither did the code of association restrict the customs of the profession, nor was the hierarchical distinction among members(master, journeyman and apprentice) definite. However, in the 15th century bannière changed into a brotherhood union(‘confrérie’). Contrast to the previous association, most of the professions established their own codes that would regulate the amount of entry fee, the period and terms of apprenticeship, and the type of test for mastership to protect their interests. They raised the barrier dividing masters and journeymen, and tightened the control over apprentices. During the 13-14 century all the professionals shared their interests with one another and maintained the solidarity with elected municipalities. But just before the revolt of Etienne Marcel in 1358 and the abolition of the election of association in 1383, there were growing numbers of the association codes that tightened up the control over the labor. It indicates that this change in professional association was paralleled with then politico-economic changes. As the solidarity between all the professionals and the municipalities shattered after the abolition, all the professionals were not able to expect the protection of the municipalities any more, and eventually they began to place themselves under the king’s tutelage.

It’s a study done from 3,459 family cards constructed by Professor Jacques Dupaquier. So far, the cereal plain of Vexin Français has been neglected by demographic historians who, nevertheless, have revealed the first indices of contraception of France in the wine -producing villages of Vexin Francais. We dare to think that we have proved that the peasants in the cereal-producing villages have controlled the birth from the middle of the 18th century. We have examined the groups by social standards to understand the difference of demographic behaviour between riches and poors, the educated and non-educated. The poors have been the first―from 1740s―who have diminished the number of birth. But it seems to have been rather a defensive reaction to the famine and to the diminution of the child mortality than the contraception in a modern sense. As for the riches, they have practiced it from the 1780s when the diminution of child mortality appeared which, nevertheless, was a strategy aiming at preserving the hereditary property. In addition, men and women controlling the birth in that period were educated in majority. That’s why we classify the diminution in 1780s as a modern contraception. We affirm therefore that the progress of education―very clear in the course of 18th century in Vexin Fançais―has contributed to a generalization of the contraceptive practices. In any case, it seems certain that the Vexin peasants have succeeded in breaking the ‘malthusian chain’ even before the English pastor has formulated it.

The activities of women in the Paris Commune of 1871 can be classified under four categories: The food riots and/or the representation of economic complaints; The roles of agitation and surveillance; The performance of military roles; The pursuits of female citizenship. These categories are drawn out of the activities of women in the French revolutions of nineteenth-century. The Parisian women of 1871 performed the role of the agitation and surveillance on the men, organized the military bodies and played a part in the battles against the Versailles, and thereby exercised their own citizenship. Especially, the organization of military bodies and the performance of military roles of them distinguished the Paris Commune of 1871 from other French revolutions. In this respect, it can be said that they exercised their own citizenship, since the military service has been a mark and moral conclusion of citizenship in the modern states. Nevertheless, the citizenship of Women Communards was incomplete from our points of view. Among others, the female suffrage did not exist. This incompleteness can be explained by the actual circumstances of the Paris Commune which entered into the Civil War with the Versailles and stood against the foreign invasion at the same time. Therefore, they compelled the Parisian women to give priority to the military defence and the improvement of labor conditions. In addition, the constitutional principle of the Paris Commune was the popular sovereignty. Under this principle, the deputies were simply the mandatories of People's imperative mandate. Thus, it is most likely that the suffrage on the basis of the national sovereignty was not of so much importance.