Victor Hugo was not only the greatest writer of the 19th century. He was also a politician, who defended with eloquence and ardor his very progressive political ideas in front of the National Assembly during the brief Second Republic. After having listened to some of his most famous speeches on poverty, education, death penalty, universal suffrage or even democracy, the students in 1e had to make an election poster for Hugo as a candidate, thus becoming for a few hours the famous writer’s campaign directors. It was the first of three meetings that our students will have this year in History with the creator of Les Misérables, who will have been a witness and actor in the agitated political life of France in the 19th century.