Varlet, Jean François

Varlet, Jean François 

Born July 14, 1764, in Paris; died 1832 (?) in Nantes. Leader in the Great French Revolution and representative of the Enragés.

Varlet emerged as a popular agitator between summer 1791 and autumn 1793. On Mar. 9-10, 1793, he attempted to incite an uprising against the Girondists. From May 31 to June 2, 1793, he was a temporary representative to the insurgent committee. In pamphlets published from 1792 to 1794 he advocated the limitation of property rights and the reduction of the inequality of wealth. Striving for broad participation of the masses in political life, Varlet advocated the selection of all government officials by popular assemblies and the right to recall deputies who disobeyed the orders of their constituents. In the summer of 1793, Varlet and other Enragés (J. Roux and T. Leclerc) carried on an active struggle for the establishment of fixed prices on essential goods and the ending of speculation. Varlet was less active after the suppression of the work of the Paris sections in 1794-95. After the coup d’etat of 18th Brumaire (Nov. 9, 1799), Varlet retired from political activity.

REFERENCES

Zakher, la. M. “Jean Varlet vo vremia iakobinskoi diktatury.” Novaia i noveishaia istoriia, 1959, no. 2.
Zakher, la. M. Dvizhenie “beshenykh.” Moscow, 1961.

A. V. GORDON