Albert L'Ouvrier
Encyclopedia
Albert l'Ouvrier born Alexandre Martin (27 April 1815 – 28 May 1895), was a French
socialist
statesman
of the French Second Republic
. He was the first member of the industrial working class to be in French government.
, in the Oise
département to a peasant family. As a young man he moved to Paris
where he served as an apprentice in his uncle's machine shop; later, he worked as a machinist in a button factory.
He participated in the July Revolution
of 1830. Throughout his public life, he was known simply as "Albert the Worker," and was closely associated with the socialist Louis Blanc
. He was a member of a variety of secret revolutionary societies in the 1830s and 1840s. He was made leader of the revolutionary Nouvelles Saisons
society in 1839, and editor of the l'Atelier the following year.
s in the revolution of 1848, and was a member of the socialist government that formed at the Hôtel de Ville
. When the socialists were included into the provisional government, Louis Blanc made Albert - by this time a popular figure among the workers - a secretary. He was sent to the Luxembourg Commission
- the provisional government's labor commission - as Louis Blanc
's vice-president, a position he held until the 15 May riots.
Albert and Blanc were two of the only six members of the Luxembourg Commission to be elected in the April elections. The socialists - who, through the Luxembourg Commission ran a virtual state-within-a-state - clashed with the Assembly. Blanc's proposal for a fully fledged ministry of labor in keeping with his ideal for "national workshops" was rejected on 10 May. By this time, Albert had lost faith in the provisional government, and, together with Louis Auguste Blanqui
and Armand Barbès
, attempted an insurrection of his own. On the 15 May, they led a crowd, demonstrating against the government; the riot was bloodily suppressed by the bourgeois National Guards, and Albert and Barbès were captured at the Hôtel de Ville.
, in 1849. He was thus found guilty of treason
and an attempt to incite revolution, and sent to prison on Belle Île
for four years. When he became ill in 1854, he was transferred to Tours
, where he remained until he was released by the general amnesty
of 16 August 1859. He returned to Paris as a working man, taking a job for the gas company. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War
, became a member of the Commission des Barricades in the Government of National Defense
, and stood for election twice in the Third Republic - but lost both attempts.
He retired to Mello
in his home département of Oise. On his death in 1895, he was given a national funeral, and his tombstone was given by the government.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
of the French Second Republic
French Second Republic
The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte which initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité...
. He was the first member of the industrial working class to be in French government.
Early life
Albert was born in BuryBury, Oise
Bury is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
, in the Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département to a peasant family. As a young man he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he served as an apprentice in his uncle's machine shop; later, he worked as a machinist in a button factory.
He participated in the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
of 1830. Throughout his public life, he was known simply as "Albert the Worker," and was closely associated with the socialist Louis Blanc
Louis Blanc
Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc was a French politician and historian. A socialist who favored reforms, he called for the creation of cooperatives in order to guarantee employment for the urban poor....
. He was a member of a variety of secret revolutionary societies in the 1830s and 1840s. He was made leader of the revolutionary Nouvelles Saisons
Nouvelles Saisons
Nouvelles Saisons was a politically-orientated society in France, around during the French Second Republic....
society in 1839, and editor of the l'Atelier the following year.
1848
He fought on the barricadeBarricade
Barricade, from the French barrique , is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction...
s in the revolution of 1848, and was a member of the socialist government that formed at the Hôtel de Ville
Hôtel de Ville, Paris
The Hôtel de Ville |City Hall]]) in :Paris, France, is the building housing the City of Paris's administration. Standing on the place de l'Hôtel de Ville in the city's IVe arrondissement, it has been the location of the municipality of Paris since 1357...
. When the socialists were included into the provisional government, Louis Blanc made Albert - by this time a popular figure among the workers - a secretary. He was sent to the Luxembourg Commission
Luxembourg Commission
The Luxembourg Commission was a labor commission in the 19th century. It was introduced by the Provisional Government of France which formed on the 25th February 1848, following the abdication of Louis-Philippe...
- the provisional government's labor commission - as Louis Blanc
Louis Blanc
Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc was a French politician and historian. A socialist who favored reforms, he called for the creation of cooperatives in order to guarantee employment for the urban poor....
's vice-president, a position he held until the 15 May riots.
Albert and Blanc were two of the only six members of the Luxembourg Commission to be elected in the April elections. The socialists - who, through the Luxembourg Commission ran a virtual state-within-a-state - clashed with the Assembly. Blanc's proposal for a fully fledged ministry of labor in keeping with his ideal for "national workshops" was rejected on 10 May. By this time, Albert had lost faith in the provisional government, and, together with Louis Auguste Blanqui
Louis Auguste Blanqui
Louis Auguste Blanqui was a French political activist, notable for the revolutionary theory of Blanquism, attributed to him....
and Armand Barbès
Armand Barbès
Armand Barbès , was a French Republican revolutionary and a fierce and steadfast opponent of the July monarchy . He is remembered as a man whose life centers on two days:...
, attempted an insurrection of his own. On the 15 May, they led a crowd, demonstrating against the government; the riot was bloodily suppressed by the bourgeois National Guards, and Albert and Barbès were captured at the Hôtel de Ville.
Trial, prison, and later life
Albert did not defend himself at the subsequent trial at BourgesBourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
, in 1849. He was thus found guilty of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and an attempt to incite revolution, and sent to prison on Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
for four years. When he became ill in 1854, he was transferred to Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, where he remained until he was released by the general amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
of 16 August 1859. He returned to Paris as a working man, taking a job for the gas company. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, became a member of the Commission des Barricades in the Government of National Defense
Government of National Defense
Le Gouvernement de la Défense Nationale, or The Government of National Defence, was the first Government of the Third Republic of France from September 4, 1870, to February 13, 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War, formed after the Emperor Louis Napoleon III was captured by the Prussian army. The...
, and stood for election twice in the Third Republic - but lost both attempts.
He retired to Mello
Mello
Mello is a comune in the Italian province of Sondrio....
in his home département of Oise. On his death in 1895, he was given a national funeral, and his tombstone was given by the government.