Society of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

(La Société des Droits de L’Homme et de Citoyen), a democratic society that functioned during the 1848 revolution in France. Formed in February 1848, it united leftist petit bourgeois democrats and numbered more than 3,000 members. It was closely linked with the revolutionary clubs of Paris and provincial towns. Its goal was the defense of the rights of the people and the development of “the social consequences” of the February revolution. The society hoped to strengthen democratic freedoms based on the principles of “equality, solidarity, and fraternity.” In contrast to other democratic societies and clubs, it advocated an armed struggle against the counterrevolution. After the June Days of 1848 ended in defeat, the society ceased to function.