Babeuf, François-Noël

Babeuf, François-Noël

François-Noël Babeuf, engraving by an unknown artist, 18th century.

(credit: Courtesy of the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris)

(born Nov. 23, 1760, Saint-Quentin, France—died May 27, 1797, Vendôme) French political journalist and agitator. During the era of the French Revolution he advocated an equal distribution of land and income. For his part in a conspiracy to overthrow the Directory and institute a return to the Constitution of 1793, he was guillotined. His tactical strategies provided a model for left-wing movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.