Étienne Cabet ( January 1, 1788 – November 9, 1856) was a French philosopher and utopian socialist.
In 1831, he was elected into the chamber of deputies, but due to his bitter attacks on the French Government he was sentenced for treason and fled to England. Influenced by Robert Owen, he wrote the book Voyage et aventures de lord William Carisdall en Icarie ("Travel and adventures of lord William Carisdall in Icaria") (1840) which depicted an ideal society in which an elected government controlled all economic activity and supervised social affairs, the family remaining the only other independent unit. He was the founder of the Icarian movement, named after a utopian society described in his book.
In 1848 Cabet attempted to organize Icarian communities in the United States. Eventually his efforts failed, but small Icarian communities existed even after his death, until 1898. One of these communities was established in the recently vacated "beautiful city" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Nauvoo, Illinois.
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Last updated: 05-29-2005 01:08:24
