The principle of authority and the tax revolts of 1862

Abstract

In 1862 there was a wave of anti-taxation agitation which took the form of attacks on tax offices and treasury officials. The protagonists in these events were the people of rural parishes, who assembled at the ringing of bells and marched to the head office of the tax district. The reaction of government officials to the riots can assist us in seeing how crises are the ideal moment to study the way the state administration is organized, for its then that the actions of ruling and military elites reveal the foundations of their authority, of legitimate power.