Postmasters under the Fourth Republic: a case study of civil servants' influence on their management by the state.

As part of a social history of politics, this article examines social groups borders, which always have to be defined in time. The French Fourth Republic is an important period: a system of promotion and practices of careers in civil service are founded during this time. But the birth of a general "statut" for civil servants is less important than the way civil servants use and reform it in practice. Two questions are examined. First, we try to have a better knowledge of the mecanisms of the local ladders of the State, which have their own dynamic and temporality. Under the Fourth Republic, civil servants like postmasters are more influential that what is said by some sociologists. Second, when we examine how civil servants define themselves their mission, we see that postmasters have a real influence on their own careers. A specialisation of their professional careers and their work is rebuilt in practice.