Ideology, conflicts and political practices in Parisian corporations in the 18th century

This article explores the incongruity between the representation of concord and cohesion that the guilds toiled to project, to their own members as well as to outsiders, and the experience of chronic, sometimes acute internal strife and dissension that buffeted many of them. The unity of these communities was undermined by disputes over who would govern, how and to what ends. These issues concerned constitutional exegesis (pivoting on legitimacy), financial management, selection of leaders, rights of simple masters, recruitment policy, etc. Guildsmen practiced politics, lofty and base, principled and cynical; they even formed parties in certain corporations. In curious ways, these intra-guild confrontations mimicked the clashes on the stage of national politics. For a considerable number of masters, guild life was an apprenticeship in political socialization, an invaluable preparation for struggles to come.