time when French socialism and republicanism were commonly associated with nationalism, Pecqueur was a professed internationalist who believed that the workers of different countries had common interests, and that conflicts between nations should be solved not by war but by means of international organs of mediation. He proposed an international federation of all nations, anticipating the idea of a United Nations. He also championed the idea of a European Parliament. He was involved in various pacifist associations in the 1870s and '80s. Other notable proposals of his included the idea of public transit. Pecqueur remained a member of the National Assembly until 1852, but after the coup d'état of Louis Bonaparte he largely withdrew from political activity. In the 1860s he provided advice to Benoît Malon and the nascent French trade union movement. He died in Taverny in 1887. His extant papers, letters and manuscripts are kept at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam. A small place and a metro station in Paris were named after him. Quote on Pecqueur "Pecqueur's originality as a theorist rests on his understanding of the consequences inherent in the industrial revolution. In his writings he developed a rudimentary sociology of class and a general theory of historical development which formed a link between Saint-Simonism and Marxism."—George Lichtheim. Sources Lichtheim, G., The Origins of Socialism. London, 1969. Zouaoui, A., Socialisme et Internationalisme: Constantin Pecqueur. Geneva, 1964. External links 1801 births 1887 deaths People from Nord (French department) French economists French socialists French sociologists French politicians Fourierists Saint-Simonists French male writers