Fernand Pelloutier
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Fernand Léonce Émile Pelloutier (1867–1901) was a French
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
, trade union organiser and
anarcho-syndicalist Anarcho-syndicalism is an anarchist organisational model that centres trade unions as a vehicle for class conflict. Drawing from the theory of libertarian socialism and the practice of syndicalism, anarcho-syndicalism sees trade unions as both ...
theoretician. A
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...
from an early age, after beginning a career in journalism, Pelloutier became involved in socialist politics. He briefly joined the
French Workers' Party The French Workers' Party (, POF) was the French socialist party created in 1880 by Jules Guesde and Paul Lafargue, Karl Marx's son-in-law (famous for having written '' The Right to Be Lazy'', which criticized work as such, criticizing heavily l ...
, but following a disagreement with its leader over his proposal for a
general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
, he left the party and joined the anarchist movement. He became the leader of the ''
Bourses du Travail The Bourse du Travail (French for "labour exchanges"), a French form of the labour council, were working class organizations that encouraged mutual aid (organization), mutual aid, education, and self-organization amongst their members in the ...
'', in which he advocated for anarcho-syndicalism. Having suffered from tuberculosis luposa for most of his career, he eventually succombed to the disease, and died in 1901 at the age of 33.


Biography

Fernand Pelloutier was born in Paris on 1 October 1867. He was from a nonconformist family, which originated in
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
and settled in France after the death of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
. His grandfather was a republican, from whom he inherited
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...
sentiments. While he was twelve, his family moved to
Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oc ...
, where his father had been appointed as a post officer. Educated at a religious boarding school, Fernand attempted to escape and was eventually expelled for his
anti-clericalism Anti-clericalism is opposition to clergy, religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secul ...
. He went on to enroll at the local secular college, but failed his
baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
in 1885. After leaving school, Pelloutier went into a career in
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
, collaborating on
Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
's journal ''La Démocratie de l'Ouest''. In 1888, he contracted tuberculosis luposa and took some months to recover at the seaside. He attempted to go back to work, in order to support Briand's candidacy in the
1889 French legislative election Legislative elections were held in France on 22 September and 6 October 1889 during the Boulanger affair. They resulted in a victory for the Republicans, and a thorough defeat for the Boulangists. Results Votes Seats See also * 1889 French ...
, but his condition got worse again and he was forced to take two years off to recover. In January 1892, he returned to Saint-Nazaire and was appointed as the editor-in-chief of ''La Démocratie de l'Ouest''. He also joined the
French Workers' Party The French Workers' Party (, POF) was the French socialist party created in 1880 by Jules Guesde and Paul Lafargue, Karl Marx's son-in-law (famous for having written '' The Right to Be Lazy'', which criticized work as such, criticizing heavily l ...
, for which he acted as the secretary of its local section and with which he helped establish the Saint-Nazaire
Bourse du Travail The Bourse du Travail (French for "labour exchanges"), a French form of the labour council, were working class organizations that encouraged mutual aid, education, and self-organization amongst their members in the late nineteenth and early t ...
(). In September 1892, he attended a regional workers' congress, at which he proposed the
general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
as a means for the party to achieve its aims. He was opposed by the party's leader
Jules Guesde Jules Bazile, known as Jules Guesde (; 11 November 1845 – 28 July 1922) was a French socialist journalist and politician. Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. Shortly before Marx died in 1883, he wrote a letter ...
, convincing Pelloutier to resign from the party. He moved back to Paris, where he joined the growing anarchist movement and began advocating for
revolutionary syndicalism Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gaining c ...
. Under Pelloutier's leadership, the ''Bourses'' united into a national organisation, the (; FBT). In 1895, he was elected general secretary of the FBT. In an article for ''Les Temps Nouveuax'', titled "Anarchism and the Workers' Unions", he advocated for anarchists to integrate themselves into the trade union movement, arguing that it was becoming increasingly revolutionary and opposed to parliamentary politics. He saw trade unions as an ideal transitionary organisation that could take workers through revolution towards
anarchist communism Anarchist communism is a far-left political ideology and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private real property but retention of personal property and collectively-owned items, goods, and ser ...
. On 1 February 1897, he established the FBT's journal ''L'ouvrier des deux Mondes'', for which he worked tirelessly for nearly two years. Under Pelloutier's leadership, the ''Bourses'' grew to count more than 250,000 members in its ranks. Pelloutier's dedication to his work ended up exhausting him and contributed to the further deterioration of his physical health. He retired to
Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a French Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a populatio ...
in January 1899, and by July of that year, he was beginning to suffer from
haemoptysis Hemoptysis or haemoptysis is the discharge of blood or blood-stained mucus through the mouth coming from the bronchi, larynx, trachea, or lungs. It does not necessarily involve coughing. In other words, it is the airway bleeding. This can occur ...
. In order to improve his material situation, his friend
Georges Sorel Georges Eugène Sorel (; ; 2 November 1847 – 29 August 1922) was a French social thinker, political theorist, historian, and later journalist. He has inspired theories and movements grouped under the name of Sorelianism. His social and ...
solicited the aid of
Jean Jaurès Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès (3 September 185931 July 1914), commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès (; ), was a French socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became a social democrat and one of the first possibi ...
, who managed to secure Pelloutier with a job as a clerk from the trade minister
Alexandre Millerand Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1920 to 1924, having previously served as Prime Minister of France earlier in 1920. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the start of the ...
. Despite worsening chronic pain, in September 1900, Pelloutier attended the FBT's congress, where he was forced to defend his government job and reaffirm his anti-statist principles. He returned from the congress completely exhausted and spent the last months of his life bedridden and in constant pain. Pelloutier died on 13 March 1901.


Legacy

Pelloutier has been recognised as one of the most important figures in French socialism. Pelloutier's theories were exceptionally important to the Revolutionary Syndicalism movement in Italy that appeared towards the end of the nineteenth century, and he is a source of major influence in this regard for
Georges Sorel Georges Eugène Sorel (; ; 2 November 1847 – 29 August 1922) was a French social thinker, political theorist, historian, and later journalist. He has inspired theories and movements grouped under the name of Sorelianism. His social and ...
. Both saw the socialist movement as divided between those supporting the political action of parties and those supporting direct action. In 1902, a year after Pelloutier's death, the Bourses du Travail merged with the
Confédération Générale du Travail The General Confederation of Labour (, , CGT) is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions. It is the largest in terms of votes in the Labour C ...
. That same year saw the posthumous publication of his ''Histoire des bourses du travail'', which formed the theoretical foundation for
anarcho-syndicalism Anarcho-syndicalism is an anarchism, anarchist organisational model that centres trade unions as a vehicle for class conflict. Drawing from the theory of libertarian socialism and the practice of syndicalism, anarcho-syndicalism sees trade uni ...
.


Selected works

*''Qu’est-ce que la Grève générale?'' / ''What Is the General Strike?'' (1894) *
Anarchism and the Workers' Unions
' (1895) *''L'Organisation corporative et l'anarchie'' (1896) *
Art and Revolt
' (1896) *
History of the Bourses du Travail
' (1902)


References


Bibliography

* * * *


Further reading

* * * *
Jacques Julliard Jacques Julliard (4 March 1933 – 8 September 2023) was a French historian, columnist and essayist, and a union leader. He was the author of numerous books. Life Early years Jacques Julliard was born on 4 March 1933 in Brénod, Ain. His father ...
, Fernand Pelloutier et les origines du syndicalisme d'action directe, Paris 1971 *F.F. Ridley, Revolutionary Syndicalism in France, Cambridge 1970 *Peter Stearns, Revolutionary Syndicalism and French Labor: A Cause without Rebels, New Brunswick 1971 *Barbara Mitchell, The Practical Revolutionaries. A New Interpretation of the French Anarchosyndicalists, New York 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pelloutier, Fernand 1867 births 1901 deaths 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Anarcho-syndicalists French anarchists French syndicalists French trade union leaders French Workers' Party politicians Members of the General Confederation of Labour (France) People of Piedmontese descent Revolutionary Syndicalism Trade unionists from Paris Tuberculosis deaths in France