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Situated between the private world of the family and the official world of the state, the public sphere was a forum in which previously isolated individuals could come together to exchange information, ideas and criticism. Whether communicating with each other at long range by subscribing to the same periodicals, or meeting face to face in a coffeehouse or in one of the new voluntary associations, such as a reading club or Masonic lodge, the public acquired a collective weight far greater than the sum of its individual members. It was from the public sphere that a new source of authority emerged to challenge the opinion-makers of the old regime: public opinion.

Blanning, Tim. The pursuit of Glory: Europe, 1648-1815. ISBN 978-0-670-06320-8