Abstract
From 1789 to 1870 in France, not less than eight constitutions and twelve regimes followed one after another. France also experienced all types of suffrages, from the most restricted one of the Ancient Regime, to the universal manhood suffrage. This period is undeniably crucial to one who aims to understand the slow evolution of the idea of democracy in the French people's mindset. Indeed, if the idea of democracy had an uninterrupted, quiet and progressive evolution in the mind of most French people, the democratization of the institutions happened in a rather uneven way. Although this definition is evolving during the period studied, democratic institutions are mainly characterized by the ability for the people as citizens to participate to their creation and amendment, and to the shaping of the State's policy, directly or by the election of representatives. The democratic nature of the institutions is as a result highly linked to the type of suffrage that is established. But if the universal suffrage is necessary to the construction of a democratic regime, it is not enough. From 1789 de 1870, what is the relationship between the different types of suffrage and the construction of democratic institutions in France?
In the fist part, we will see that from 1789 to 1814, the universal suffrage is starting to be considered as necessary for the creation of a legitimate regime, whereas democracy doesn't make any consensus.
