Fair shares for all
Subtitle: Jacobin egalitarianism in practice
By: Jean-Pierre Gross.
Series: Past and present publications
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York, NY, USA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 255
Subjects: Income distribution -- France -- History -- 18th century.; Equality -- France -- History -- 18th century.; France -- Economic conditions -- 18th century.; France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799.
Description: This study explores the egalitarian policies pursued in the provinces during the radical phase of the French Revolution, but moves away from the habit of looking at such issues in terms of the Terror alone. It challenges revisionist readings of Jacobinism that dwell on its totalitarian potential or portray it as dangerously utopian.

The mainstream Jacobin agenda held out the promise of 'fair shares' and equal opportunities for all in a private-ownership market economy. It sought to achieve social justice without jeopardising human rights and tended thus to complement, rather than undermine, the liberal, individualist programme of the Revolution.

The book stresses the relevance of the 'Enlightenment legacy', the close affinities between Girondins and Montagnards, the key role played by many lesser-known figures and the moral ascendancy of Robespierre. It reassesses the basic social and economic issues at stake in the Revolution, which cannot be adequately understood solely in terms of political discourse.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 206-237) and index.