born Nov. 23, 1760, Saint-Quentin, France died May 27, 1797, Vendôme French political journalist and agitator. During the era of the French Revolution he advocated an equal distribution of land and income. For his part in a conspiracy to overthrow the Directory and institute a return to the Constitution of 1793, he was guillotined. His tactical strategies provided a model for left-wing movements of the 19th and 20th centuries