1792/10/24 - 15 Sous

Another example of an assignat whose value was guaranteed by the 'Domaines nationaux'. The distribution of Church and aristocratic lands to the growing middle class helped cement the Revolution in ways that violence did not. The common people had a stake in maintaining the gains they made as a result of the Revolution. Where the Church and royalists made their mistake was in not realizing how important this had become to the people. Their insistence on returning to the status quo as it stood before the Revolution robbed them of powerful allies (the middle class) who turned to the Directorate, Consulate and Napoleon in turn looking for stability, law and order.