Étienne Cabet

Étienne Cabet ( born January 1, 1788 in Dijon, France, † November 8, 1856 in St. Louis, USA) was a French journalist, politician and revolutionary. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Francis Adams and Th Dufruit.

Life and work

Cabet was after graduating from law school in 1812, first to the opponents of Napoleon, but took over the defense of his followers, as they, the process was made ​​after the defeat of Waterloo. He came in contact with so liberal opposition and soon became one of its leading lights. He was a member during the July Revolution of 1830 to the conspirators, overthrow the Charles X and replaced by the citizen-king Louis Philippe.

Disappointed by the authoritarian behavior and social coldness of the citizen king Cabet was a socialist. He lashed out in his writings the conditions in France and promoted the educational work among workers. He published the opposition newspaper Le Populaire, which was widespread, but was banned in 1834. He was charged with lese-majeste and goes after his conviction for five years in exile in London.

There he came in connection to philanthropist Robert Owen, whose ideas the plan could mature in him to realize socialist structures in France. After his return to France, he worked as a journalist and politically for social renewal. In his published under a pseudonym novel Journey to Icaria ( Original: Voyage en Icarie ) he created the idea of ​​a utopian community, which achieved thanks to modern industry a high income, but in which the means of production belong to the general public. Cabet vision continuous nationalization, militarization, books and press censorship and the personality cult around the late leader Icarus remember the later practices of Stalinism. With the establishment of workers' education associations he tried to get closer to his goal.

Because of his quick-tempered temperament and his egotism Cabet increasingly isolated. He supported the Revolution of 1848, but could not prevail with his social ideas, even among the workers. He called for emigration to the USA and founded in 1848 by settlers in Nauvoo on the Mississippi River be Icaria. Again, he was increasingly conflicts with the colonists. Cabet banned as president of its maximum of about 500 people counting municipality cosmetics, jewelry, colorful clothes. There were also conflicts over the use of (often through donations) generated surpluses. 1855 broke with the Icarians. Cabet died in 1856 in St. Louis and did not live to the failure of his utopia.

Works (selection)

• Revolution de 1830 et situation presente ( Novembre 1833), Expliquees et par les revolutions de eclairees 1789, 1792, 1799 et 1804 digitized
• The communistic creed digitized ( incomplete)
• Comment je suis Communiste, 1840 Digitalisat
• Voyage et aventures de Lord Villiam Carisdall s Icarie, traduits de l' anglais de Francis Adams. Hippolyte Souverain, Paris 1840 digitized
• Voyage en Icarie: roman Philosophique et social, 1842 Digitalisat
• Insurrection du vingt- trois juin, avec ses causes, but caractère et ses suites, expliquée par la marche et les fautes de la révolution du 24 février. Bureau du Populaire, Paris 1848 digitized
• Péril de la situation présente, 14 octobre 1831: compte à mes commettans. 1851 digitized
• Revolution de 1830 et situation presente ( Novembre 1833), Expliquees et par les revolutions de eclairees 1789, 1792, 1799 et 1804, Paris 1852 digitized