Jean-Baptiste André Godin

Jean -Baptiste André Godin ( born January 26, 1817 in Esquéhéries, Aisne, France, † 1888 in Guise, Aisne ) was an early socialist French entrepreneur and founder of the stove factory " Les fireplaces Godin " in Guise, and the associated cooperative community condominium Godin. He was under the Third French Republic 1871-1876 deputy of the department of Aisne.

Life

The son of a village blacksmith left school at the age of eleven to work in his father's workshop, completed his apprenticeship with his uncle down, and went with 17 years on the wanderings ( 1835-1837 ) who, him to Paris Bordeaux, Toulon, Marseille and Lyon led. After returning home he opened in 1840 with the support of his father, who introduced him 4000 francs available in his hometown his own workshop, where he started with the help of two workers to build stoves. The management of in 1846 emerged from this workshop Ofenfabrik Godin (see below) employed Jean -Baptiste André Godin until his death.

Godin, the experience of wandering for the harsh conditions within the low-paid working class had made receptive, completed his school education by reading the works of Rousseau, Diderot and Voltaire. A newspaper article sparked his interest in the utopian social reformer Charles Fourier (1772-1837) and founded by this " École sociétaire " and led him to the magazine " La Phalange " to subscribe, which served to spread the teaching of Fourier .. Finally, he joined the "Ecole sociétaire " in itself.

In 1853 or 1854 invested and lost the lasting influence of Fourier's doctrine Industrial 100,000 francs, about one- third of its former assets. He supported so Considérant Victor (1808-1893), the. After a failed uprising against Napoleon III lived in exile in the United States. An avid follower of Fourier Considérant hoped to be able to implement its theoretical teaching through the creation of Phalanstères " Reunion " in Dallas in Texas in the act. Due to the recruitment of agriculturally inexperienced colonists, poor soil conditions, adverse climatic conditions, a plague of locusts and correspondingly low yields the colony broke up in the year 1856 again.

After failing the socially engaged factory owner in the years from 1859 was built until 1880 in the immediate vicinity of his factory, a housing complex for the workers employed there, which has become known as " Godin " ( see below). In 1880 he wrote the Familistère a co-operative association, which existed until 1968.

Jean -Baptiste André Godin died in 1888 in Guise. He was married to Marie Lemaire.

Work

The stove factory " Les fireplaces Godin "

The economic success turned Godin for the patenting of which he developed a new process for the production of cast iron stoves - and no longer made ​​of sheet metal - a. He ordered the furnace manufacturer in 1846, about 40 km from the Belgian border, on the banks of the Oise and at the edge of the town of Guise to acquire more land to relocate production in a traffic- favorable area. There were other patents, the setting, and 1850, 180 workers and employees and the creation of a second factory near Brussels ( 1853). In 1880 the factory employed about 1,500 workers in 1908 than in 2000.

The factory was later privatized. After another, made ​​in 1980, change of ownership, it is thriving again, and employs 280 people.

The Godin

The construction of the Familistères that is embedded on the side opposite the furnace factory banks of the Oise in a river bend, began in 1859 with the construction of residential pavilions. The planning was based on Fourier's model of Phalansteriums and came up with a total of 500 apartments whose angedachtem ideal of a settlement of 1,600 inhabitants near. However fit Godin, who had become prudent by the failure of the Texas Phalansteriums, the utopian model its own financial resources as well as the specifics of his furnace factory and the needs of the workers employed there to.

The system comprises three residential pavilions, which were designated as residential or social Palace, a theater, two parallel erected to the side walls of the theater schools, other community buildings such as crib, bath and wash house and other farm buildings.

The three four-story apartment buildings each have four wings that form a rectangular, provided with a glass roof courtyard. They were arranged in such a way that arose between the two sides and the middle, set back a fourth building, situated in the open air, open to the front courtyard. In both located at the rear of this courtyard corners passages between the buildings were constructed.

The residential buildings were, like the factory, later privatized, while the theater and other community facilities passed into the possession of the municipality of Guise. As part of the extensive renovation project, Project Utopia, the community has now bought up about a quarter of the time privatized, partly in need of rehabilitation homes of Familistere. It seeks to highlight the importance of Familistères and open up the system for tourism purposes.

Writings

• Godin, Jean -Baptiste André Solutions Sociales, Place of Publication, 1871. Well as Paris 1979.
• Godin, Jean -Baptiste André: Mutuality of Social and association du capital et du travail. Paris 1880