"In 1841, in his reception speech at the french academy, victor hugo had evoked the "populace" to designate the people of the poor districts of paris. Vin�ard having vigorously protested in an article in la ruche populaire, hugo was very embarrassed. He realized at that time that he had readers in popular circles and that they felt humiliated by his demeaning vocabulary. Gradually the word "miserable", which he used at the beginning of his novels to describe criminals, changed meaning and designated the little people of the unfortunate. The same shift in meaning is found in the mysteries of paris by eug�ne sue. Thanks to the voluminous letters sent to him by his working-class readers, eug�ne sue discovered the realities of the social world he evoked in his novel. The former legitimist thus became a spokesman for popular circles. The little people of paris then ceased to be described as a race to become a social class. France is here all the territories (colonies included) which have been placed, at one time or another, under the control of the french state. In this sum, the author wanted to shed light on the place and role of the people in all the great events and the great struggles that have punctuated its history since the end of the middle ages: wars, the affirmation of the state, the revolts and revolutions, economic changes and crises, slavery and colonization, migrations, social and national issues france is here all the territories (colonies included) which have been placed, at one time or another, under the control of the french state. In this sum, the author wanted to shed light on the place and role of the people in all the great events and the great struggles that have punctuated its history since the end of the middle ages: wars, the affirmation of the state, the revolts and revolutions, economic changes and crises, slavery and colonization, migrations, social and national issues france is here all the territories (colonies included) which have been placed, at one time or another, under the control of the french state. In this sum, the author wanted to shed light on the place and role of the people in all the great events and the great struggles that have punctuated its history since the end of the middle ages: wars, the affirmation of the state, the revolts and revolutions, economic changes and crises, slavery and colonization, migrations, social and national issues.