From Young People to Young Citizens: The Emergence of a Revolutionary Youth in France, 1788–1790

This article focuses on youth activism in Brittany from the opening of the Provincial Estates in late 1788 until the Federation of Pontivy in January 1790. It argues that the crisis that preceded the Revolution in Brittany had a dramatic impact on the political consciousness of young people and shaped the way they would interact with the revolutionary state in the following years. Moreover, it shows that the generational position that had been an impediment to youth’s political existence during the Old Regime quickly became a source of legitimacy and confidence in the months that preceded the Revolution.