Civil committee Each section was headed by a civil committee of 16 members (elected by active citizens in the area covered by the section), the juges de paix (judges) and members intended to act as intermediaries between their section and the
Paris Commune. From 1792 onwards, the sections occupied themselves permanently with political questions. On 25 July 1792, the Parisians decided to abolish the distinction between active citizens and passive citizens. As a result, the sections' assemblies sat permanently and became the political organ of the
sans-culottes. After the
Brunswick Manifesto they demanded the deposition of the king, by 47 sections to 48. On 9 August 1792 each section delegated commissioners elected by the active and passive citizens, as a replacement for the 'municipalité' of Paris. There were 52 of these commissioners in total (including
Jacques-René Hébert,
Pierre-Gaspard Chaumette and
François-Xavier Audouin) and they triggered the events of
10 August 1792, putting an end to the monarchy and giving rise to the 'Revolutionary Commune' of Paris.
Revolutionary committee Set up by a law of 21 March 1793, the initial task of the sections' revolutionary committees was surveillance on foreigners without interfering in the lives of French citizens. Their activities towards that end (often going beyond the limits the law of 21 March had placed on them) were enabled by the
Law of Suspects of 17 September 1793. They also had the power to make lists and issue arrest warrants. They also had the right to deliver citizenship certificates, all in establishing a direct correspondence with the
Committee of General Security.
Armed force Paris's armed force was headed by a commander in chief and divided into 6 legions, each legion made up of troops from eight sections. The troops of each section had their own commander in chief, second in command and adjutant-major. The companies were made up of 120 to 130 men, being bigger or smaller according to their section's population. A company was commanded by a captain, a lieutenant and two 'sous-lieutenants'. Each section also had a company of artillery (60 men and 2 cannon each). In the Thermidorian Reaction of 27 July 1794, during the fall of
Maximilien Robespierre, 18 companies had been sent to the front by order of
Lazare Carnot. Of the 30 remaining companies, three were used to keep order – at the
National Convention, the Arsenal, and the
Temple. Seventeen remaining companies replied to the Commune's appeal during the
night of 27–28 July 1794. == List of Sections ==