In the French Revolution, the extension of the ideal of a political community of free and equal citizens goes hand in hand with a new conception of work. Work becomes the main means of social integration, whether through individual effort leading to property or through assistance to the poor. This transition from a feudal society to one based on freedom of occupation and social protection lays the foundation for the emergence of the notion of the right to work. In 1848, this right is considered a prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other rights and many agree that the nascent Republic should take charge of social issues. But, in the course of the Revolution, the right to work acquires a more radical meaning: it serves to express the idea that the social sphere should be governed by the same egalitarian principles as the political sphere.