Victor Prosper Considérant
Encyclopedia
Victor Prosper Considerant (October 12, 1808 – December 27, 1893) was a French utopian Socialist and disciple of Fourier
. Contrary to a common error, his name is not written Considérant as he explained: ("… there is no acute accent on my e. I have fought in vain for more than sixty years ever since my name was printed to defend it [from the accent]! ")
Considerant was born in Salins-les-Bains
, Jura and studied art and music at the École Polytechnique
(1826 diploma). Subsequently working as a musician , he collaborated with Fourier on newspapers. He edited the journals La Phalanstère and La Phalange.
Considerant wrote much in advocacy of his principles, of which the most important is La Destinée Sociale. He is also the writer of a Democracy Manifesto, which was very similar to the Communist Manifesto released five years later by Marx and Engels. Considerant defined the notion of a "right to (have) work", which would be one of the main ideas of French socialists in the 1848 Revolutions. He is also known for having devised the proportional representation
system. He also advocated such measures of 'direct democracy
' (a term he coined) as referendum and recall.
The failure of an insurrection against Louis Napoléon
obliged Considerant to go into exile in Belgium in June 1849. On an invitation by Albert Brisbane
and helped by Jean-Baptiste Godin, between 1855-57 he founded the colony La Réunion
in Texas on Fourier's principles.
He was a member of the First International, founded in 1864, and took part in the 1871 Paris Commune
.
He died in Paris in 1893.
The historian Jonathan Beecher
has written a biography of Considerant that was published in 2001 by the University of California Press
,(ISBN 0520222970) .
Charles Fourier
François Marie Charles Fourier was a French philosopher. An influential thinker, some of Fourier's social and moral views, held to be radical in his lifetime, have become main currents in modern society...
. Contrary to a common error, his name is not written Considérant as he explained: ("… there is no acute accent on my e. I have fought in vain for more than sixty years ever since my name was printed to defend it [from the accent]! ")
Considerant was born in Salins-les-Bains
Salins-les-Bains
Salins-les-Bains is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.Salins owes its name to its saline waters, used for bathing and drinking. There are also salt works and gypsum deposits. In 2009 the historic saltworks were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites...
, Jura and studied art and music at the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
(1826 diploma). Subsequently working as a musician , he collaborated with Fourier on newspapers. He edited the journals La Phalanstère and La Phalange.
Considerant wrote much in advocacy of his principles, of which the most important is La Destinée Sociale. He is also the writer of a Democracy Manifesto, which was very similar to the Communist Manifesto released five years later by Marx and Engels. Considerant defined the notion of a "right to (have) work", which would be one of the main ideas of French socialists in the 1848 Revolutions. He is also known for having devised the proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
system. He also advocated such measures of 'direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
' (a term he coined) as referendum and recall.
The failure of an insurrection against Louis Napoléon
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
obliged Considerant to go into exile in Belgium in June 1849. On an invitation by Albert Brisbane
Albert Brisbane
Albert Brisbane was an American utopian socialist, the chief popularizer of the theories of Charles Fourier in the United States in several books, notably Social Destiny of Man , and in his Fourierist journal The Phalanx...
and helped by Jean-Baptiste Godin, between 1855-57 he founded the colony La Réunion
La Reunion (Dallas)
La Réunion was a socialist utopian community formed in 1855 by French, Belgian, and Swiss colonists near the forks of the Trinity River in Texas, USA. The Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas is about three miles east of the colony site. The founders of the community were inspired by the utopian...
in Texas on Fourier's principles.
He was a member of the First International, founded in 1864, and took part in the 1871 Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
.
He died in Paris in 1893.
The historian Jonathan Beecher
Jonathan Beecher
Jonathan French Beecher is a historian who has taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz since the early 1970s. He specializes in French history and European intellectual history, including Russian. He received his B.A...
has written a biography of Considerant that was published in 2001 by the University of California Press
University of California Press
University of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
,(ISBN 0520222970) .