Even under absolute monarchy, urban people used their right to speak to contribute to political life. Citizenship before the Revolution was a local, urban phenomenon that had very little to do with democracy, even though collective decisions were part of the urban system. This book examines the political practices of the Ancien Régime in three cities (Marseilles, Toulouse and Paris) by questioning how citizens combined political participation and organization in communities that structured a good part of their activities.PUR.