Enrichissez-vous

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Enrichissez-vous [ ɑ̃ʀiʃiseˈvu ] ( Eng . Enrich yourselves! ) Is a quote attributed to the French minister François Guizot . It emerged in the political history as a cynical creed materialist reign of Louis Philippe and him after the July Revolution of 1830 supporting Juste Milieu on.

Origin and Interpretation

The meaning of the words and the context in which they were uttered are controversial. After Guizot's death, his political supporters claimed that he had addressed them to the citizens of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives in the Calvados department during an election campaign between 1842 and 1846 : “  Enrichissez-vous par le travail, par l'épargne et la probité .  »(German:" Enrich yourself through work, through thrift and through honesty. ")

However, there is no evidence of such an address. What is documented, however, is a speech by Guizot to the Chamber of Deputies on March 1, 1843 on the occasion of a financial debate. Guizot replied to the opposition that the French revolution had brought about the completion of social and political rights. Progress must be in other areas. He said:

«A present, usez de ces droits; fondez votre gouvernement, affermissez vos institutions, éclairez-vous, enrichissez-vous, améliorez la condition morale et matérielle de notre France: voilà les vraies innovations. »

“And now use these rights; give your government a basis, strengthen your institutions, enlighten yourselves, enrich yourselves, improve the moral and material situation of our France - this is where the real innovations are to be found. "

In his vote, Guizot wanted to understand the increase in personal wealth as a part of social progress, alongside which there should also be immaterial progress. Nevertheless, the words became the quintessence of the critical examination of the July monarchy and a metaphor for the theory formulated by Karl Marx of the form of bourgeois or bourgeois class rule . They are used in the criticism of capitalism to this day.

Transfer to socialist states

In 1925, Nikolai Bukharin demanded , in order to increase productivity in the country within the framework of the New Economic Policy (NEP): “We have to say to the whole peasantry, all of their strata: enrich yourself, accumulate, develop your economy!” (“Всему крестьянству, всем его слоям нужно сказать: обогащайтесь, накапливайте, развивайте своё хозяйство “). That was the motto of the NEP in the following years, which was sharply attacked by the “left opposition” but supported by Stalin. After the “left opposition” was ousted and the “NEP crisis” broke out in 1928, Stalin changed his position and from then on referred to Bukharin's direction as the “right opposition”.

The phrase "Getting rich is glorious!" Was uttered by the Chinese economic reformer Deng Xiaoping several times in the course of his reform and opening -up policy.

Individual evidence

  1. Christian Schmidt-Häuer: "Enrich yourself, develop the economy" . In: The time . February 19, 1988, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed February 12, 2020]).
  2. Deng Xiaoping: “ Getting rich is glorious” . In: Finanz und Wirtschaft , January 5, 2016; accessed on March 1, 2017