ABSTRACT
The revolution transformed the French officer corps in both composition and outlook. Measured by statistics considered important by social historians, this transformation exceeded changes in the rank and file. By 1794 the aristocracy, which once treated commissioned rank as a privileged preserve, constituted a mere 2 to 3 percent of the cadre. Before the Revolution an abyss of class and wealth had separated the leaders from the led, but it disappeared as men from the ranks rose to exercise command.
