Emmauel Joseph Sieyès

French politician. Born in Fréjus, Provence. Became a priest, but was inspired by Rousseau and wrote "What is the Third Estate?" in March 1789, creating the guiding principles of the French Revolution. He called on the people to "become someone." He was elected as a member of the Three Estates General in the same year, and led the constitutional faction that reorganized the Three Estates General into the National Assembly, working as a promoter of the early revolution. After the establishment of the "Constitution of 1791," he left politics for a time, but returned to the National Convention in September 1792. However, as Robespierre called him a "mole," he was buried in the crowd of the Plain faction, which was made up of many members, and continued to live out the Reign of Terror in silence, while coldly ignoring the crazy behavior of populism. In 1799, he became a minister in the Directory, but with Napoleon's support after his return from Egypt, he planned the Brumaire coup d'état and established the Consulate. He became Consul with Napoleon, but soon fell out of sympathy with him and retired from politics. He was nominated as a member of the Academy and was made a count during the Hundred Days. After the Restoration, he was exiled from France for supporting the execution of Louis XVI, and fled to the Netherlands for a time.

[Makoto Kanazawa]

"What is the Third Estate?" (translated by Makoto Oiwa) (Iwanami Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

フランスの政治家。プロバンス州のフレジュスに生まれる。司祭になるが、ルソーに私淑し、1789年3月『第三身分とは何か』を著し、フランス革命の指導原理を創造。国民に「何者かになろう」と呼びかけた。同年開かれた三部会の議員に選ばれ、三部会を国民議会に改組する立憲派の先頭にたち、初期革命の推進者として活動した。「1791年憲法」の成立後、一時政界を離れたが、1792年9月国民公会の議員に返り咲く。しかし、ロベスピエールから「もぐら」と称されたように、多数議員の集まる平原派の群れに埋もれ、人民主義の狂態を冷眼視しつつ、沈黙を守って恐怖政治を生き続けた。1799年総裁政府の大臣につくが、エジプトから帰国したナポレオンを擁して、ブリュメール（霧月）のクーデターを計画し、統領政府を樹立。ナポレオンとともに統領（執政）に就任するが、まもなく彼と折り合わず、政界を退いた。アカデミーの会員に推され、百日天下期には伯爵に叙せられた。王政復古後にはルイ16世の処刑に賛同したかどで、国外追放にあい、オランダに一時身を避けた。

［金澤　誠］

『大岩誠訳『第三階級とは何か』（岩波文庫）』

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