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and one of the Syndics arrogance reached new Zurich. were arrested, tried and
accepted that representa- heights and public sentenced to death. Fatio
tives of the people should assemblies were held daily. Matters came to a head on was shot by a firing squad
be designated to sit on a 26 May during a on 7 September 1707 and
Commission to meet that Further reform proposals tempestuous meeting in the his body was buried within
same day. Eighteen followed and arguments cathedral. The Syndics sent the prison walls.
delegates were nominated between supporters and soldiers to clear the
and, fatefully, they chose opponents of the govern- opposition out of the build- Less than a month later the
Pierre Fatio as their leader. ment became more animat- ing. Even though Fatio Council of Two-hundred
A stormy meeting took ed. At a meeting in the called for calm, the bloody adopted some of his
place and the Syndics trans- cathedral in May, Fatio revolution that everyone reforms, putting an end to
mitted a petition to the stated that the people feared seemed imminent the disturbances that had
Council of Two-hundred. should be consulted on and angry demonstrations shaken the city. Some 180
For the first time, the oppo- three issues: on the matter took place in the streets. years later, a street was
sition was well organized of war or peace; on The government decided to named after Pierre Fatio, a
foreign act and began to make
and had a clear strategy. establishing martyr in the cause of
and
alliances; Genevan democracy.
on arrests. On 3 June troops
Inevitably, the Council of legislation. The govern- arrived from Berne.
Two-hundred rejected all ment at first tried to buy
the requests on the petition, time, hoping that the However, it was not until HAYWARD BEYWOOD
except one. The first Syndic opposition would fritter August that the government
even requested that Pierre away. Meanwhile, the decided on a policy of
Fatio should be impeached. Syndics asked for urgent pitiless repression. Fatio
Indignation at the Syndics' help from Berne and and the other ringleaders

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY POLITICS IN GENEVA

By 1700 the city of Geneva was controlled by an oligarchy. This was the old aristocracy, known as "les Negatifs", con-
sisting of a small number of wealthy, often related families, closely associated with Protestantism. They provided the
city with a large number of its magistrates, professors, priests, bankers and merchants. They resolutely maintained their
privileges and their government for more than 200 years. This was achieved in times of crisis by asking Berne, Zurich,

France or Piedmont-Sardinia to send troops, rather than making any concessions to the demands of the
population. Then came the middle classes or bourgeoisie, known as "les Nali fs", who did not enjoy full political rights
and were impatient to weaken the power of the oligarchy. They were prepared to associate themselves with whatever
group would give them political influence. Finally, there was the growing mass of the population consisting of small
shopkeepers and craftsmen, known as "ks Représentanis". They too demanded their rights, as they were subject to tax-
ation, yet excluded from politics and some professions or trades. Within the working classes, there was also a
division between those who had been born in the city and newcomers. This situation was guaranteed to promote
discontent. Apart from 1707, the most important crisis was in 1782 when the people actually succeeded in taking over
the government of the city. However, foreign troops were called in and the rebellion crushed (see the stories of de

Saussure and Dufour). A long period of political instability began in 1792 (see Pictet de Rochemont).

4 2007 Diva 49

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