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François-Noël Babeuf
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=== Conspiracy of the Equals === {{main|Conspiracy of the Equals}} The attempts of the [[French Directory|Directory]] to deal with the economic crisis gave Babeuf his historical importance. The new government wanted to abolish the system which benefitted Paris at the expense of all France. To this goal, the government planned to abolish the sale of bread and meat at nominal prices, on 20 February 1796. The announcement caused widespread consternation. Workers and the large class of [[proletarian]]s attracted to Paris by the system, as well as {{lang|fr|[[wiktionary:rentier|rentiers]]}} and government officials, whose incomes were paid in {{lang|fr|[[assignats]]}} arbitrarily set by the government, felt threatened with starvation. The government yielded to the outcry, and tried to mitigate the problem by dividing people entitled to relief into classes, but this only increased alarm and discontent.{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}} The universal misery gave point to Babeuf's virulent attacks on the existing order and gained him a hearing. He gained a small circle of followers known as the {{lang|fr|Societé des égaux}} ("Society of the Equals"), soon merged with the rump of the Jacobin Club, who met at the [[Panthéon]]. In November 1795, police reported that Babeuf was openly preaching "insurrection, revolt and the Constitution of 1793".{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}} The group was influenced by [[Sylvain Maréchal]], the author of {{lang|fr|Le Manifeste des Égaux}} (''[[The Manifesto of the Equals]]'') and a sympathiser of Babeuf. For a time, the government left Babeuf alone but observed his activities. The Directory benefitted from the leftist agitation because it counteracted [[House of Bourbon|royalist]] movements for overthrowing the Directory. Most workers, even of extreme views, were repelled by Babeuf's bloodthirstiness; and police reported that his agitation increased support for the government. The Jacobin Club refused to admit Babeuf and Lebois, on the ground that they were "throat-cutters" ({{lang|fr|égorgeurs}}).{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}} However, the economic crisis increased Babeuf's influence. After [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] closed the club of the Panthéon on 27 February 1796, Babeuf increased his activity. In [[French Revolutionary Calendar|Ventôse and Germinal]] (late winter and early spring) under the [[pseudonym]] {{lang|fr|Lalande, soldat de la patrie}}, Babeuf published the paper "Scout of the People, or Defender of Twenty-Five Million Oppressed" ({{lang|fr|Éclaireur du Peuple, ou le Défenseur de Vingt-Cinq Millions d'Opprimés}}), which was passed from group to group secretly in the streets of Paris.{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}} At the same time, Issue 40 of Babeuf's {{lang|fr|Tribun}} caused immense sensation as it praised the authors of the [[September Massacres]] as "deserving well of their country" and declared that a more complete "2 September" was needed to destroy the government, which consisted of "starvers, bloodsuckers, tyrants, hangmen, rogues and mountebanks".{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}} Distress among all classes continued. In March, the Directory tried to replace {{lang|fr|assignats}} by a new issue of {{lang|fr|mandats}} and this raised hopes, but they were soon dashed. A rumour that [[national bankruptcy]] had been declared caused thousands of the lower class of workers to rally to Babeuf's ideas. On 4 April 1796, the government received a report that 500,000 Parisians needed relief. From 11 April, Paris was placarded with posters headed "Analysis of Babeuf's Teaching" ({{lang|fr|Analyse de la Doctrine de Baboeuf}}) {{sic}}'', Tribun du Peuple'', which began with the sentence "Nature has given to every man the right to the enjoyment of an equal share in all property",{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}} and ended with a call to restore the Constitution of 1793.{{sfn|Phillips|1911|p=93}}
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