Babeuf argues for the abolition of private property and the institution of a socialist system where all property is commonly owned in order to eliminate class economic differences that plague the majority.
- The majority (peasants) are suffering and starving because an inordinate amount of wealth is concentrated in the privileged classes
- A truly just social order requires that all must be perfectly equal economically
- In the state of nature, men tend to dominate others and form social strata – therefore, the purpose of the state is to eliminate such strata by promoting common economic prosperity
- Private landownership violates the natural law that men must be equal, and so all property must be in the public domain
- Higher wages for more intense work are unjust because the excess wealth is not needed, and wages should reflect only what a person needs
- To support all of these precepts, a political system must be formed that suppresses private property, gives jobs to the people who are best at them, requires that workers contribute their income to a common store, and distributes basic necessities to all
- Such a system already exists in the army and so would be practical on a large scale
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