The civil service bourgeoisie in 19th-century France

Abstract

In the first half of the 19th century, France was characterised by the reign of les notables (elites whose predorninance was primarily based on the possession of economic capital and their mediating role between urban and rural society). More than a hundred years later, from the 1950s onwards, the emergence of new technocratic elites becomes recognizable. The basis of this new social mobility was created during the Third Republic. By investigating the civil service bourgeoisie the author demonstrates the formation of a new mode of domination, where intellectual capital became to play an ever increasing role, even if more traditional bases of power maintained their importance.