The Suppression of the Encyclopédie: A Story of Censorship and Resistance

The publication of the Encyclopédie, between 1751 and 1772, was a long and difficult process, marked by repeated attempts by the French authorities to suppress the work. The story of the suppression is one of the great episodes in the history of the Enlightenment, and it illustrates the tensions between the new philosophy and the established order that were a central feature of the period. This article examines the attempts to suppress the Encyclopédie, the strategies of resistance developed by Diderot and his collaborators, and the eventual completion of the project.

The First Bans

The publication of the Encyclopédie began in 1751, and it was immediately controversial. The first two volumes of the work included articles on subjects that were considered to be subversive of the established order, and the religious authorities quickly moved to suppress the work.

In January 1752, the Conseil de la conscience, a body of Catholic clerics that advised the king on religious matters, issued a decree condemning the Encyclopédie. The decree was followed by a formal ban on the first two volumes by the Parlement of Paris in February 1752.

The bans were a serious threat to the project, but Diderot and his collaborators were able to continue the work, with the support of a network of sympathetic publishers and booksellers. The publication was resumed in 1753, and the next five volumes appeared in 1753–1757.

The Second Crisis: The Revocation of the Privilège

The crisis of 1759 was the most serious threat to the Encyclopédie. The article on “Authority” in Volume VII, which was widely attributed to Diderot, included a sharp attack on the authority of the king and the church, and it provoked a strong reaction from the religious and political authorities.

In February 1759, the Conseil d’État, the highest administrative court in France, revoked the privilège that had authorized the publication of the Encyclopédie, and it ordered the work to be suppressed. The remaining volumes of the work were not published, and Diderot was ordered to surrender the remaining manuscripts.

The revocation of the privilège was a serious blow to the project. The publication of the Encyclopédie was now technically illegal, and the editors and publishers faced the prospect of prosecution if they continued the work.

The Strategies of Resistance

Diderot and his collaborators developed a number of strategies to continue the work despite the suppression. The most important of these strategies was the use of a network of sympathetic publishers and booksellers who were willing to take the risk of producing and distributing the work.

The publication of the Encyclopédie was continued secretly, with the help of publishers in Paris and in the provinces. The work was printed in secret, distributed through a network of trusted booksellers, and sold to a circle of wealthy and sympathetic subscribers. The risk of prosecution was real, and several of the publishers and booksellers involved in the project were arrested and punished, but the work continued to be produced and distributed.

A second strategy was the use of a Swiss edition. The Encyclopédie was reprinted in Geneva and in other Swiss cities, where the French censorship did not apply. The Swiss editions were imported into France through a network of smugglers, and they helped to spread the ideas of the Encyclopédie to a wider audience.

A third strategy was the use of partial editions. Diderot and his collaborators published the plates of the Encyclopédie as a separate work, without the controversial text. The plates were a valuable reference in their own right, and they helped to maintain the visibility of the project during the years of suppression.

The Completion of the Project

Despite the suppression, Diderot and his collaborators were able to complete the Encyclopédie. The remaining volumes of text appeared between 1760 and 1765, and the eleven volumes of plates were published between 1762 and 1772. The work was never officially reauthorized, but it was widely distributed throughout France and Europe, and it became one of the most influential publications of the century.

The completion of the Encyclopédie was a major achievement, and it was a testament to the determination of Diderot and his collaborators. The story of the suppression and the eventual completion of the work is one of the great stories of the Enlightenment, and it illustrates the importance of the principle of intellectual freedom in the development of the modern world.

The Significance of the Suppression

The suppression of the Encyclopédie was a significant event in the history of the Enlightenment, and it has important implications for the contemporary debate about the proper relationship between the state and intellectual life.

The first implication is that the suppression of intellectual works is rarely effective in the long run. The Encyclopédie was suppressed, but the work was completed, and it became one of the most influential publications of the century. The suppression, in effect, increased the visibility of the work and helped to establish the Encyclopédie as a symbol of the new philosophy.

The second implication is that the suppression of intellectual works can be counterproductive. The suppression of the Encyclopédie created a sense of solidarity among the intellectuals of the French Enlightenment, and it helped to establish the Encyclopédie as a rallying point for the various critics of the established order. The authorities, in effect, helped to make the Encyclopédie a more effective instrument of the Enlightenment than it would otherwise have been.

The third implication is that the suppression of intellectual works raises important questions about the proper relationship between the state and intellectual life. The French authorities believed that the Encyclopédie was subversive of the established order, and they believed that the suppression of the work was necessary for the maintenance of public order. The defenders of the Encyclopédie believed that the work was a legitimate contribution to the public discussion of the issues of the day, and that the suppression of the work was a violation of the proper freedom of inquiry.

Further Reading

• Robert Darnton, The Literary Underground of the Old Regime (1982)
• Darrin McMahon, Enlightenment Contested (2006)
• Daniel Roche, The Enlightenment in the West (2010)