With the European Industrial Revolution, the bourgeoisie expanded rapidly but exploited the proletariat harshly. During the French Revolution, the proletariat gradually awakened and launched organized resistance, giving rise to the Equals Movement, hailed by Marx as the “first truly active Communist Party”. This paper explores the movement’s early communist nature. It first examines France’s socioeconomic background – early-stage capitalist development dominated by handicraft workshops, an agrarian-based economy, and intensified social contradictions from heavy taxation. It then analyzes the revival of utopian socialism, which provided ideological support, and the proletariat’s growing class consciousness. Finally, it elaborates on the Equals Movement’s development, including Babeuf’s revolutionary activities, the impact of the Thermidorian Reaction and Directory rule, its organizational structure, core demands of public ownership and equality, and its tragic suppression. The study reveals the movement’s historical significance as an early proletarian revolutionary organization and its enlightenment for subsequent communist movements.
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Share and Cite
Guo, Y., Zhu, C., Wang, J. (2025) An Analysis of the Early Communist Nature of Political Movements through the Equals Movement. Journal of Social Development and History, 1(3), 88-92.