[FOURIERISME], Le Sept Avril à Besançon, 1847

First edition.
The political banquet was born during the French Revolution. In 1789, in all cities of France, the open-air banquet, in the streets, was a new form of sociability to affirm patriotic enthusiasm and the unity of the Nation. During these civic meals, new liberties were celebrated.

Under the reign of Louis-Philippe, the political banquet was reborn as a means of circumventing the ban on political gatherings imposed by the reactionary government of Minister Guizot.

Fourierists, after the death of Charles Fourier in 1837, adopted this practice and met each year to celebrate his birthday (April 7, 1772) with a banquet. In Paris, in the provinces, and abroad, numerous banquets were thus organized, during which speakers took turns extolling the social theories of their master and proposing many toasts.

In 1847 and 1848, this subversive function of the banquet spread to all political factions and gained momentum. In February 1848, the prefect of police in Paris banned a banquet. Following this ban, a protest demonstration turned into an insurrection within a few days, bringing an end to the July Monarchy.

This account of the Besançon banquet in 1847 includes toasts by Just Muiron: "To the genius of Fourier!", Ledoux: "To the organization of labor!", Renaud: "To the confusion of false wisdom!", Vuillemin: "To all the benefactors of humanity!".