Égalité: A Utopian TL

[Mango Soup]

Égalité
Prelude Pt. I: Choir of Arras
Arras Prison 21 Fructidor, Year IV (September 8th, 1796)
​

It was an ironically familiar sight, only seven years from the infamous storming of the Bastille. A damp and decrepit Parisian prison was once again under siege. He looked around, down the dim hallway, analyzing the motley crew that shared the prison with him. There were forgers, usurers, thieves, and the remainder of his co-conspirators. Across the way was his ideological counterpart and closest friend, Sylvian Maréchal [1]. Nearest to him was Jean Pierre André Amar, a fellow conspirator and now fellow prisoner. Of all he worked with they probably bonded the least from ideology, yet he had a respect of the man that few others were awarded. Both of them had a calm, stone faced demeanor. Amar was one of the many men that expected an amnesty they were never delivered. Unlike Amar, he had nothing to look forward to but the Guillotine.

After all, he was the architect of everything that landed him in this prison. François-Noël Babeuf, or Gracchus Babeuf if you will, was the leader of a failed rebellion . The last few years had utterly disgusted him, as he watched the new masters of the country bastardize every ideal the original revolutionaries held. All the while the economy slowly tanked, and with it came poverty and squalor.

But now he had hope. Why? He could see it from the window. Recession became despair, and despair became outrage. Before long, this outrage took to the streets, visible even from the high prison walls. With it he did his part to stoke the flames. Why couldn't history repeat itself?

He looked out the window, and gazed upon the men lining the street. They yelled and protested, holding up signs and flags in a fervor that had disappeared in the twilight of the revolution. He smiled. The garrison protecting the prison was less than pleased, however, demanding the men leave at once. They were armed; the protestors by and large were not.

It was at that moment, further down the road, Gracchus saw something he never expected. A new militia marched down the road in lockstep. The original protestors numbered at most five or six hundred, the oncoming group would triple those numbers. Their background was various.There were Jacobins and soldiers, artisans and simple laborers, and their numbers grew as they continued their advance [2]. Their demands were clear: they wanted the release of the remaining conspirators.

As the chaotic scene unfolded, Babeuf did not shout or incite. He simply started to hum:

Mourant de faim, mourant de froid,
Peuple dépouillé de tout droit,
Tout bas tu te désoles:
Cependant, le riche effronté,
Qu'épargna un jour ta bonté,
Tout haut, il se console.

Gorgés d'or, des hommes nouveaux,
Sans peines, ni soins, ni travaux,
S'emparent de la ruche:
Et toi, peuple laborieux,
Mange et digère si tu peux,
Du fer, comme l'autruche.
​

The humming turned to singing as other prisoners joined in . Amidst all the chaos outside, people heard the sounds radiating from the prison and joined in. Quickly the rioting and angry chants stopped and were replaced by joyous song. The events that day would go down in history as the Choir of Arras.

Its unclear who fired the first shot.

Almost instantly the scene turned to chaos. The protestors charged the garrison, and the ensuing fight turned into a bloodbath. The garrison and their army backups fought hard, but outnumbered by the now rabid attackers were eventually forced to capitulate. By the end of the night all the prisoners, including Babeuf, Maréchal, and Amar. They didn't miss a beat, the time for their revolution was now.
-----------------------------------

[1] Amar and many of the conspirators were given amnesty prior to this point in OTL
[2] In real life the Jacobins failed to get the support of enough soldiers to attempt to free Babeuf.

 

[HortenseMancini]

Nice! Look forward to reading more.

 

[Miranda Brawner]

Nice choice of premise. Looks like the start of a great timeline.

 

[Mango Soup]

Prelude Pt. II: Revolution of the Fourth Estate
Paris, France Vendémiaire, Year IV ​

They had to act fast. The entirety of the French government was likely searching for them. Babeuf's first move was to get a call to action out on the press that supported him. Right now he had the momentum, but he'd need more people to take the directory. Luckily it seemed the people were willing to support anyone who would push for systematic change. Most of his plan revolved around mass army defection, which occurred in far smaller numbers than he had hoped. He had gotten some support, hell his freedom could be attributed to the Revolutionary Army camp at Grenelle, but he still expected more.

His ace in the hole was the proletariat. After years of seeing their dreams co-opted by the bourgeois, it was high time for change. Babeuf and his papers and writings were very popular among the Parisian lower class by the time he was freed from Arras; the prison break only skyrocketed his (and Maréchal's) popularity.

His plan was now this: Take the Luxembourg Palace, then the Salle du Manège, and then attempt to secure the city. The countryside would surely fall in line in enough numbers to prepare for the inevitable return of the generals on foreign fronts, right?

On the first day of the autumn quarter, they made their move. Babeuf and an army of thousands of soldiers, Jacobins, and peasants marched towards the palace with a vigor not seen since 1789. Just like at Arras, as they moved their numbers grew and grew until they reached critical mass. A unit of dragoons was expecting them at the palace, and the first true battle of the new revolution would occur. Babeuf's forces would win on sheer numbers alone, and their victory would directly lead to the capture and imprisonment of Director Lazare Carnot.

Once the palace was secured, Babeuf turned to the remaining forces and gave a fiery speech railing against the Directory and the Parisian upper class. His final request was clear "Secure the city for the common man!"

The city erupted in revolutionary chaos. Many parts of Paris burned, and revenge attacks on the new upper class of the city became woefully common. The less opportunist among them went neighborhood to neighborhood gathering support for Babeuf's movement. More regiments defected to Babeuf, although many faced intraregimental fights that resulted in more bloodshed. All the while the original conspirators marched on to the Salle. As they moved to secure the other governmental buildings, bounties on the remaining four directors were placed.

It was at this point he met up for the first time in a month with Sylvian Maréchal. Where was he?

While the streets of Paris burned with revolutionary fervor, Maréchal worked to make more of a mark on history than any of the others, and he did it without stepping outside. Revising his prior work Manifeste des Egaux while adding in the prison writings of both him and Babeuf, in that month Maréchal would write their magnum opus: Le Manifeste du Quatrième-état: The Manifesto of the Fourth Estate. It was quickly rushed to print and published in the paper of both Babeuf and the Jacobin club. Little did they know it would outlast them both.

​

Meanwhile in Italy, news of the revolt in Paris would reach one Napoleon Boneparte. In response, he would send a large force under the command of General Pierre Augereau to meet up with anti-Jacobin forces gathered south of the city. It is said that the events in Paris may have prevented a royalist uprising as many right wing frenchmen opted to work with the directory in fear of Babeuf's forces taking the country. The revolution's biggest threat was just around the corner.

​

----------------------------

Authors note: Don't get attached to these characters the actual timeline takes place 50 years later in a different country. This is very important for fleshing out the world though

 

[Teutonic_Thrash]

Authors note: Don't get attached to these characters the actual timeline takes place 50 years later in a different country. This is very important for fleshing out the world though

Can we have a hint at where?

 

[Mango Soup]

Can we have a hint at where?

Mostly the USA, a lot of Germany France and Italy, but there will be updates worldwide

 

[Mango Soup]

Prelude Pt. III: The Paris Tribune
Paris, France Vendémiaire-Brumaire, Year V​

Replacing the government of the Directory, Babeuf and Maréchal established La Tribune des Égaux, or the Tribune of the Equals. Years later it would come to be known as the Paris Tribune. The government was made up of a council of five high ranking Jacobins and leaders of the original conspiracy. They were: François-Noël Babeuf, Sylvian Maréchal, Jean Pierre André Amar, Félix Lepeletier, and Nicolas-Edme Rétif. Past this new political body, legislative structures were created following the French Constitution of 1793. The first actions of the government were threefold: Redistribute Parisian property, try traitors of the revolution, and attempt to take the countryside.

Redistribution efforts occurred quickly. Many of the upper class of Paris fled to the countryside soon after it looked like Babeuf's forces would take the city. Their property was doled out to fourth estate Parisians. Democratization of a variety of professions occurred in some forms, but as an initiative was put on a back-burner to Babeuf's main agenda: land reform. Earlier restrictions against the church and organized religion were put back in place, with public worship once again being banned.

The Panthéon Club, closed months earlier by the Directory and General Boneparte, was reopened. Meetings that would quickly become known as "agitation sessions" occurred weekly. Women were highly encouraged to take part in Political clubs and discussions, as well as these agitation sessions. Women's suffrage became a hotly debated issue, though its implementation would never occur; whether it would have if the Tribune survived is debated to this day. As the political clubs and debates grew, an ideological offshoot from Babeuf began to grow, a more radical one advocating for global spread of the revolution and a universal stateless, classless society. Allies at first, this offshoot would become a thorn in the side of Babeuf.

Executions began almost instantaneously after the Tribune's establishment. The first trials and executions were the captured members of the Directory, starting with Director Lazare Carnot. Following them were a vast number of rentiers, clergymen, émigrés that returned under the Directory, and former representatives and senators under the directory deemed corrupt or counterrevolutionary. For the upper and some of the middle class, their fears of a renewed reign of terror were confirmed. For the lower class, the promises of the French Revolution seemed finally met. As such, the Tribune remained relatively popular within the city.

The press was reinstated, under full control of the Tribune and the Panthéon Club. Le Manifeste du Quatrième-état was printed and circulated en masse. Efforts were made to translate the work into English, Dutch, German, and Italian, of which only the first three were finished and began circulation.

As time went on, it quickly dawned on the Tribune that the rest of the country was not falling in line. In fact, quite the contrary. The occurrences in Paris led to an increase in royalist sentiment, especially in the southern regions and in Brittany. Efforts to secure other areas, as well as homegrown revolutions in certain regions, largely failed. More worrying, however, was the approaching forces of the French Revolutionary Army, as well as moderate and right wing militias. The Tribune was woefully outmanned and outgunned, and Babeuf knew it. In response, the Tribune opted to fortify the city. Barricades were built and abandoned buildings were turned into makeshift forts. Public Agitation efforts to call the populace to action increased, the public made aware that the revolution was far from over.

General Pierre Augereau, Leader of the Siege of Paris Year V (1796-1797)
​

Fighting would finally break out on 10 Frimaire V (November 25th, 1796), as forces under General Pierre Augereau attempted to enter the city through the southeast.The two forces clashed at Champigny-sur-Marne in a battle that would turn into a long, bloody phyrric victory for the much larger forces under Augereau. Other battles and encounters went far smoother for the counterrevolutionaries. However, the barriers and entrenched Tribune forces fought on, and combined with an especially nasty week of storms movement towards Paris quickly slowed to a halt. It soon became clear that retaking the city would not be easy, and the lengthy Siege of Paris began.

 

[Goldenarchangel]

This seems interesting, though it seems the Tribune is going to be defeated eventually. Watched

 

[Nivek]

Authors note: Don't get attached to these characters the actual timeline takes place 50 years later in a different country. This is very important for fleshing out the world though

That is the more weird plot twist...the tl would have been better without that note, still well.... dunno...

Mostly the USA, a lot of Germany France and Italy, but there will be updates worldwide

Really?

 

[Mango Soup]

Prelude Pt. IV: The End of the Beginning
​

The Tribune would hold out for five months before it was overrun. As the walls closed in around them, Sylvian Maréchal made the decision to take his own life before any others could take it from him. Babeuf, however, was willing to fight to the death. After all, it was his fate before all this had happened, when he was sitting in prison not even a year ago. His last stand occurred, ironically, right outside the presses where their manifesto first went to print. When captured, he was given none of the respect of a defeated general, nor the delayed execution of the prisoner. Quite disrespectfully, he was beheaded right there.

As Paris finally fell, France descended into chaos. In the newly formed Batavian republic, rebels following Babeuf's model rose up themselves, although to far less success. At the same time, however, occurred a royalist uprising in the southern regions as well as Brittany. This was much larger and quickly consumed wide swaths of territory, to the point that French generals had to recall much of their troops from foreign fronts to put down the three separate insurgencies. Their gains in Italy were quickly reversed, and the aristocracy of Eruope smelled blood in the water. By 1798, much of Europe was set to rollback the republican gains as much as possible, and their enemy was still in the midst of civil wars.

While two of the former directors survived the turmoil, a cabal of generals under the lead of Napoleon Bonaparte opted to establish military rule as opposed to returning the country to its "usual" state of affairs. Ironically, the final two directors would find themselves on the guillotine, not by any revolutionary force, but by the army that was supposed to protect them. This new government rolled back many of the reforms of the government, doing away with the revolutionary calendar and once again making peace with the catholic church as an institution. The major royalists insurgencies would finally be placated in 1799, but by that point France was embroiled in war with nearly all of Europe, While attempts to retake the Netherlands were repelled, campaigns in Italy and Switzerland were an utter disaster for a weary (and often divided in loyalty) French army. Little would happen in movement after this repulsion in the south, and while many in Europe wished to launch an invasion of France, frequent stalemates would lead to an eventual cessation of hostilities in 1800. The French were humiliated by their losses in Italy but ultimate resilience in preventing a recapture of the low countries or even an invasion of France proper.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's note: Thats it for the prelude, should have Chapter 1.1 up by later tonight

 

[Mango Soup]

That is the more weird plot twist...the tl would have been better without that note, still well.... dunno...


Really?

The premise that turned into this timeline was really What if Communism (or something like it) developed as a force earlier than OTL. The French Revolution was a breeding ground for a lot of new ideas that could have gotten more popular than they did in real life, everything from Babeuf's proto-communism to De Sade's cult of reason and some even more obscure beliefs. As such while this new system is developed in France, its gonna achieve its success in another countries decades later.

One interesting side effect that im planning for this TL is that republicanism and socialism will be very tied together.

 

[Mango Soup]

Chapter I: The Life and Times of John Brown
I.I: Early Life and Transformative Years

John Brown (May 9th, 1800 - September 21st, 1881)​

John Brown was born on May 9th, 1800 in the outskirts of the city of Torrington, Connecticut. He was one of eight children, born to father Owen Brown and mother Ruth Mills. They lived in Connecticut for the first five years of John's life, before moving to the town of Hudson, Ohio. Owen was a Tanner by trade.

It was from a young age that John Brown was interested in politics, the town of Hudson being a hotbed for abolitionist thought. His father opened his doors to fugitive slaves escaping from the south, and engaged in debate and political action with other noted abolitionists in the area, such as Elizur Wright Sr. Religion played an important role in the family, Owen a staunch evangelical protestant.

After a short stint at a seminary in the northeast, John moved back to Ohio where he married his first wife, Dianthe Lusk. Together they moved to the area of Albion, PA, where John Brown opened a Tannery equipped with secret locations to hide slaves. For around a decade, his business was successful, and in his time he facilitated the passage of thousands of slaves. However, in 1833, hardship struck the new family, and they were forced to move.

The 1830's found him, his wife, and seven kids moving back and forth around the country, racking up unfortunate amounts of debt, especially after the Great Panic of 1837. Finally he ended up in the town of Akron, OH, in which he would enter the wool trade with some newfound business partners.

In 1846, he moved to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. There, he began attending St. Johns Congressional Church, a prominent hub for abolitionist activity. There he would meet two very important speakers: Charles Sumner and Fredrick Douglass.

​

Charles Sumner at the time was a popular orator and member of the American Antiquarian Society. Like John, he was an staunch abolitionist, but he was more radical politically in a lot of ways, and would in later days come to be known as the first american Equalitarian. In 1837, he had traveled to Europe, landing in the city of Le Havre, France. By December of 1837, he had reached Paris and begun his study of French, a language he would pick up in six months. He began taking lectures at the Sorbonne, including Greek History and Criminal Law. The lecture that would make the most of a mark on him, however, would be the history of the French Revolution. Already a staunch abolitionist, he took great interest in the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the Paris Tribune of 1797. It was through this he discovered Sylvian Maréchal's work Le Manifeste du Quatrième-état. He also took an interest in Rousseau. Through admiration two philosophers, Maréchal and Rousseau, and various study circles with both Equalitarians and Utopian Socialists, he developed an increasingly radical set of politics.

As he returned to America, he brought these newfound influences with him, and became even more radical in his politics. However, his learned nature and great oratory skills garnered him a small cult following and a larger degree of admiration. However, it would not be until he met John Brown that he'd turn his rhetoric to action

​

Frederick Douglass was a well known orator, writer, and abolitionist. A former slave himself, he escaped a life of servitude in Maryland and fled first to Philadelphia, and then to New York City.

Now a free man, he regularly attended abolitionist meetings and began to engage in his own public speaking. He joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and began touring the country. As he did, his stature and fame both within the abolitionist community and the country grew at large. In 1845, Frederick Douglass would write his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. This established his popularity even further. Like Sumner, he too visited Europe, instead opting to see England and Ireland. While there, the plight of the Irish during the potato famine and his introduction to Irish Republicanism and Nationalism furthered his resolve for political action back at home.

In 1848, he continued his tour of the country, in one chance opportunity visiting Springfield, Massachusetts. There he found a town very progressive and dedicated to the cause of abolitionism, a movement that centered around the St. Johns Congressional Church. It was at a speech he presented at this church that he met John Brown and Charles Sumner. The three men became close almost instantaneously. With the help and support of Douglass and other prominent abolitionists Sumner and Brown would establish the Sinai Club, modeled by Sumner after the Panthéon Club he had learned about in France. Attached to it came a paper known as The Sword.

By 1850 the Sinai Club became the premier debating and organizing grounds for the abolitionists in Springfield, and arguably all of, Massachusetts. It was at this time that the United States passed the Fugitive Slave Act. This was met with fury by the members of the Sinai Club, and led John Brown to believe that armed struggle would be the only way forward for real valuable change in the country. Frederick Douglass and others disagreed, believing that all attempts at nonviolent change should be made before armed struggle, as it risked alienating the public and potential allies. In between both was Charles Sumner. Sumner valued direct action, outright telling his followers to defy and sabotage the fugitive slave act, yet also believed an attempt at change could be made from inside the government system. He pointed to the dying Whig party and noted the opportunity was right for abolitionists and, to a lesser extent, Equalitarians to become a meaningful political force in the American government. Thus a compromise was met, with a small subset of supporters under Brown becoming a de facto armed wing known as the Gileadites. Sumner meanwhile began to prepare himself and others for a series of electoral campaigns in the decade to come.

 

[Alexander the Average]

Things are getting interesting. Having Charles Sumner fall in among socialists and pick up more radical ideas is a great idea. I might have to borrow it in the future.

 

[HortenseMancini]

Chapter I: The Life and Times of John Brown
I.I: Early Life and Transformative Years

John Brown (May 9th, 1800 - September 21st, 1881)​

John Brown was born on May 9th, 1800 in the outskirts of the city of Torrington, Connecticut. He was one of eight children, born to father Owen Brown and mother Ruth Mills. They lived in Connecticut for the first five years of John's life, before moving to the town of Hudson, Ohio. Owen was a Tanner by trade.

It was from a young age that John Brown was interested in politics, the town of Hudson being a hotbed for abolitionist thought. His father opened his doors to fugitive slaves escaping from the south, and engaged in debate and political action with other noted abolitionists in the area, such as Elizur Wright Sr. Religion played an important role in the family, Owen a staunch evangelical protestant.

After a short stint at a seminary in the northeast, John moved back to Ohio where he married his first wife, Dianthe Lusk. Together they moved to the area of Albion, PA, where John Brown opened a Tannery equipped with secret locations to hide slaves. For around a decade, his business was successful, and in his time he facilitated the passage of thousands of slaves. However, in 1833, hardship struck the new family, and they were forced to move.

The 1830's found him, his wife, and seven kids moving back and forth around the country, racking up unfortunate amounts of debt, especially after the Great Panic of 1837. Finally he ended up in the town of Akron, OH, in which he would enter the wool trade with some newfound business partners.

In 1846, he moved to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. There, he began attending St. Johns Congressional Church, a prominent hub for abolitionist activity. There he would meet two very important speakers: Charles Sumner and Fredrick Douglass.

​

Charles Sumner at the time was a popular orator and member of the American Antiquarian Society. Like John, he was an staunch abolitionist, but he was more radical politically in a lot of ways, and would in later days come to be known as the first american Equalitarian. In 1837, he had traveled to Europe, landing in the city of Le Havre, France. By December of 1837, he had reached Paris and begun his study of French, a language he would pick up in six months. He began taking lectures at the Sorbonne, including Greek History and Criminal Law. The lecture that would make the most of a mark on him, however, would be the history of the French Revolution. Already a staunch abolitionist, he took great interest in the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the Paris Tribune of 1797. It was through this he discovered Sylvian Maréchal's work La Manifeste des Quatrième-État. He also took an interest in Rousseau. Through admiration two philosophers, Maréchal and Rousseau, and various study circles with both Equalitarians and Utopian Socialists, he developed an increasingly radical set of politics.

As he returned to America, he brought these newfound influences with him, and became even more radical in his politics. However, his learned nature and great oratory skills garnered him a small cult following and a larger degree of admiration. However, it would not be until he met John Brown that he'd turn his rhetoric to action

​

Frederick Douglass was a well known orator, writer, and abolitionist. A former slave himself, he escaped a life of servitude in Maryland and fled first to Philadelphia, and then to New York City.

Now a free man, he regularly attended abolitionist meetings and began to engage in his own public speaking. He joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and began touring the country. As he did, his stature and fame both within the abolitionist community and the country grew at large. In 1845, Frederick Douglass would write his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. This established his popularity even further. Like Sumner, he too visited Europe, instead opting to see England and Ireland. While there, the plight of the Irish during the potato famine and his introduction to Irish Republicanism and Nationalism furthered his resolve for political action back at home.

In 1848, he continued his tour of the country, in one chance opportunity visiting Springfield, Massachusetts. There he found a town very progressive and dedicated to the cause of abolitionism, a movement that centered around the St. Johns Congressional Church. It was at a speech he presented at this church that he met John Brown and Charles Sumner. The three men became close almost instantaneously. With the help and support of Douglass and other prominent abolitionists Sumner and Brown would establish the Sinai Club, modeled by Sumner after the Panthéon Club he had learned about in France. Attached to it came a paper known as The Sword.

By 1850 the Sinai Club became the premier debating and organizing grounds for the abolitionists in Springfield, and arguably all of, Massachusetts. It was at this time that the United States passed the Fugitive Slave Act. This was met with fury by the members of the Sinai Club, and led John Brown to believe that armed struggle would be the only way forward for real valuable change in the country. Frederick Douglass and others disagreed, believing that all attempts at nonviolent change should be made before armed struggle, as it risked alienating the public and potential allies. In between both was Charles Sumner. Sumner valued direct action, outright telling his followers to defy and sabotage the fugitive slave act, yet also believed an attempt at change could be made from inside the government system. He pointed to the dying Whig party and noted the opportunity was right for abolitionists and, to a lesser extent, Equalitarians to become a meaningful political force in the American government. Thus a compromise was met, with a small subset of supporters under Brown becoming a de facto armed wing known as the Gileadites. Sumner meanwhile began to prepare himself and others for a series of electoral campaigns in the decade to come.

Wow, this is really cool! Nice to see how the French Revolution has influenced American politics at this time.

 

[Mango Soup]

Wow, this is really cool! Nice to see how the French Revolution has influenced American politics at this time.

Yeah republicanism both in NA and especially Europe is going to be very different than it was OTL. The only place that is going to have relatively similar politics to its OTL equivalent is South America and even then only to a certain extent.

 

[Alexander the Average]

Yeah republicanism both in NA and especially Europe is going to be very different than it was OTL. The only place that is going to have relatively similar politics to its OTL equivalent is South America and even then only to a certain extent.

If you want some suggestions for Latin America I have some ideas.

 

[Mango Soup]

If you want some suggestions for Latin America I have some ideas.

Of course! I'd always be happy to hear some

 

[The Tai-Pan]

Cool stuff, curious to see where it goes.

 

[Nyvis]

This is great. I expect they won't get that successful electorally though, and if they commit too much to that, they may become neutered by the necessities of electoral politics and just become a slightly leftier wing of northern politics.

By the way, the book title should be "Le manifeste du quatrième-état". French is a bitch.

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Interesting. Apparently there is no need for a war of 1812 at this point? I suppose Andrew Jackson could easily rise up in some other way, considering the man's propensity for dueling he definitely had a knack for getting into things. He probably still is involved in capturing Florida.