V. Local versus State authority.
Case in which the State abdicates. - Anarchy during the Revolution. -Case in which the State usurps. - Regime of the year VIII. - Remains of local independence under the ancient regime. - Destroyed under the new regime. - Local society after 1800.
From and after 1789， the State， passing through intermittent fits and starts of brutal despotism， had resigned its commission. Under its almost nominal sovereignty， there were in France forty-four thousand small States enjoying nearly sovereign power， and， most frequently， sovereignty in reality.[11] Not only did the local community manage its private affairs， but again， in the circumscription， each exercised the highest public functions， disposed of the national guard， of the police force， and even of the army， appointed civil and criminal judges， police commissioners，[12] the assessors and collectors of taxes. In brief， the central State handed over， or allowed the seizure of the powers of which it ought never to deprive itself， the last of its means by which alone it acts effectively and on the spot，* its sword， which it alone should wield， * its scales of justice， which it alone should hold， * its purse， for it to fill，and we have seen with what harm to individuals， to the communes， and to itself， with what a lamentable series of disastrous results：
* universal， incurable， persistent anarchy， * impotence of the government， * violation of the laws， * complete stoppage of revenue， an empty treasury， * despotism of the strong， oppression of the weak， * street riots， * rural brigandage， * extortions and waste at the town halls， * municipal usurpations and abdications， * ruin of the highways， and all useful public works and buildings， and * the ruin and distress of the communes.[13]
In contrast with this， and through disgust， the new Régime takes the other side， and even goes to the other extreme； the central State， in 1800， no longer a party that has resigned， as formerly， becomes the interloper. Not only does it take back from local communities the portion of the public domain which had been imprudently conceded to them， but， again， it lays its hand on their private domain； it attaches them to it by way of appendices， while its systematic， uniform usurpation， accomplished at one blow， spread over the whole territory， again plunges them all， communes and departments alike， into a chaos in which， under the old monarchy， they would never have fallen.