Conclusion

Abstract

Lefebvre considered that the Revolution was not decisively won until 1830. Up to that point its achievements were uncertain and insecure. Much depends on what is understood by the Revolution. Lefebvre’s interpretation was the victory of the ‘notables’ by which he meant principally the upper bourgeoisie. The Restoration excluded them from full participation in government but under the July Monarchy, which ‘brought to power a prince who accepted the Revolution’s principles’ they now enjoyed its political fruits. Those who did so remained, of course, almost as restricted in numbers as under the Bourbon Restoration. There was a slight widening of the channels of advancement and, as a result, the social composition of court circles, and the upper reaches of administration, and politics. The notable class, in the sense not just of the upper bourgeoisie but of the rich and influential elements of French society, now established that dominance they were to enjoy for much of the century.