François-Noël Babeuf, (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.
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