The+Reign+of+Terror

= =

toc =__**The Reign of Terror**__ =

The Reign of Terror was a period in the French Revolution where massive executions were made against people presumed enemies of the state. It lasted from September 5,1793 - July 28,1794. The Terror was directed by the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre. The stated aim for the Terror was to defend the Revolution by destroying internal enemies and conspirators and chasing the external enemies from French territory. The guillotine was the weapon that conducted all the executions during the Terror. The Revolutionary Tribunal condemned thousands of people to death by the guillotine. Some people died because of their political opinions or actions and some died because of mere suspicion. Victims to the guillotine received a trip from an open wooden cart. The Reign of Terror was able to save the revolutionary government from military defeat. The size of the French army expanded and many aristocratic officers were replaced with younger soldiers who had demonstrated ability and patriotism. The Republican army was able to throw back the Prussians, Austrians, British and the Spanish. At the end of 1793, the army began to prevail and revolts were defeated with ease. When the French military success began, popular discontent with the brutal measures at home grew evident. By this time, members of the Committee of Public Safety were at odds with each other and the Committee of General Security. Members of the National Convention feared that the new purge would be turned against them so they joined forces with Robespierre's enemies who were in the Committees. Robespierre was overthrown in the __Thermidorian Reaction__. He was arrested and executed on July 28, 1794. With Robespierre's death, the Reign of Terror finally ended. In the Reign of Terror, an estimated 30,000 - 40,000 people lost their lives; including Marie Antoinette, her family and Georges Danton.

**__Maximilien Robespierre__**

 * (May 6, 1758 - July 28, 1794)**

Maximilien Robespierre was a famous leader of the French Revolution. He was the man who helped bring out the Reign of Terror and was the __most influential leader of the Reign of Terror__. Robespierre was born in Arras, France. He studied at the college of Louis-le-Grand in Paris and became a successful lawyer soon after. Robespierre was influenced by the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. In 1789, Robespierre was elected to the Estates-General. In the Estates-General, Robespierre distinguished himself as a spokesman for the principle of equality and rights of the common people. Robespierre was a leader of the Jacobin Club. By 1792, the Jacobins wanted a French Republic other than the French monarchy. Soon after King Louis XVI was imprisoned, Robespierre was elected to the National Convention. The Convention declared France a republic, and put King Louis XVI on trial. The convention sentenced Louis to death as a traitor. Robespierre then led as attack against moderate deputies known as Girondists. Robespierre and the Jacobin Club expelled the Girondists in 1793 and took control of the Convention. In July 1793, Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, the National Convention's governing body. In the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre brought upon the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution. He stressed the republic's need for a single center of opinion and viewed disagreement with the committee's policies as treachery.Robespierre's speeches justified the Reign of Terror to defend and "purify" the revolution. Because of Robespierre's policies, he gained many enemies in the Convention. Those members feared Robespierre and organized a plot to overthrow him. On July 27 1794, Robespierre was arrested and sent to trial. On the next day, he was executed. The death of Robespierre ended the Reign of Terror. Robespierre's supporters call him "The Incorruptible." They say he is a totally dedicated patriot and democrat. Others viewed Robespierre as cold-blooded, fanatical and self-righteous.

[[image:303e05f0.jpg align="right" caption="The National Convention"]]
The National Convention was opened on September 21, 1792. It was chosen through an election open to nearly all adult French males. The Convention declared France a Republic. __The Republic's official slogan was "Liberte, Equalite, Fraternite."__ The National Convention held __executive power during the Reign of Terror__. The National Convention was succeeded by the Directory on November 2, 1795. For both legislative and administrative purposes, the National Convention used different committees.Their powers were more or less widely extended and regulated by successive laws. The most famous of these committees were the Committee of Public Safety, the Committee of General Security, and the Committee of Education. Radical leaders came into prominence. In the Convention, these leaders were known as [|the Mountain]. Leaders who were part of the Mountain were Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Jacques Danton, and Jean-Paul Marat. The Mountain dominated a powerful political group called the Jacobin Club. In the Convention, the majority of deputies was known as [|the Plain]. Opponents of the Convention were known as the Gironde. There were many growing disputes between the Mountain and the Gironde which led to a struggle for power. Eventually, the Mountain won. In June 1793, the Mountain arrested and expelled the Girondists. In return, Girondists' supporters rebelled against the Convention. Through time, the Convention's forces defeated the Girondists' supporters. By the end of the Convention, prominent members were executed in either the Reign of Terror or the Thermidorian Reaction, which ended the Reign of Terror.

= =

**__The September Massacres__**
= = = = = = = = = = The September Massacres were several attacks that were made against prisoners in Paris, France. The massacres began on September 2, 1792 and __lasted for five days__. The first attack occurred when twenty four priests, being transported to a prison named L'Abbaye, were attacked by a mob of angry citizens of Paris. In the end of the massacres, __approximately 1200 prisoners died__. The September Massacres started when news reached Paris that the Prussian army had overpowered the French and was quickly approaching the capital. With that, a rumor spread around Paris. Because of their fear, crowds of people broke into prisons where they started attacking political prisoners.

[[image:girondins.jpg width="331" height="265" align="right" caption="The Girondists"]]
Girondists (Girondins in French) were members of a French political party that began during the French Revolution. The Girondists name came from the fact that some of the party's leading orators were from a department called the Gironde. They represented the bourgeoisie and believed in private ownership of property. They were a group of individuals holding certain opinions and principles in common than an organized political party. The Girondists made up a part of the National Convention. They were in favor of the French republic and wanted the monarchy abolished. During the days of the monarchy, the Girondists agreed with the king to start war with Austria. Dumouriez, a minister of war and a Girondist, betrayed France to join Austria when the French Army wasn’t prepared and had to retreat. The Girondists were blamed for failure of the war and lost support. The Girondists came to power under the Constitution of 1791. In June 1793, a Paris mob forced the __National Convention to expel__ and arrest the Girondists. Soon after, the government came under control of the Jacobins. Many Girondist leaders were executed during the Reign of Terror.

[[image:jacob1.jpg width="423" height="257" align="right" caption="The Jacobin Club"]]
Jacobins were members of the radical political party, the Jacobin Club. This society got its name from its Paris headquarters near the church of St.James, Jacques in French. The Jacobins came mainly from the middle class. At first, the Jacobins opposed foreign wars. They feared the wars would lead to military dictatorship. Later on, when war broke out with Austria and Prussia, the Jacobins supported the idea in order to gain control. The Jacobins made up the other part of the National Convention. When the Monarchy was abolished, the Jacobins wanted King Louis to be executed,while the Girondists voted against it. The Jacobins won in the end and King Louis XVI was killed with the use of the guillotine. The Jacobins came to power in 1793 and __began the Reign of Terror__. The __most influential leader__ of the Jacobins was __Maximilien Robespierre__. In 1794, Robespierre's fellow Jacobins turned against him. Robespierre was soon arrested and executed. The Jacobins lost power after Robespierre's death. In the end, the Jacobins put an end to the Reign of Terror. The term Jacobin is now used to describe a radical.

__Other Key Terms and Ideas__
//**La Marseillaise**// - __accepted by the National Convention as the national anthem__ //**sans-culottes**// - term to describe the poorer members of the Third Estate; these people wore pantaloons instead of culottes //**King Louis XVI**//'s death started the Reign of Terror //**Queen Marie Antoinette**// was the first victim of the Reign of Terror

__**Bibliography**__

 * //The Reign of Terror//** -
 * 1) http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Reign_of_Terror
 * 2) http://www.historywiz.com/terror.htm
 * 3) http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0858287.html
 * 4) http://www.bartleby.com/65/re/ReignTer.html
 * 5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign_of_Terror
 * 6) Michael Cranny,__Crossroads; A Meeting of Nations__, Prentice Hall Gim Canada
 * 7) __World Book Encyclopedia; Volume 7__. pp.453&454

//**Robespierre -**//
 * 1) __World Book Encyclopedia; Volume 16__. pp.302&303
 * 2) http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/french/french.html
 * 3) http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/robespierre.html
 * 4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilien_Robespierre
 * 5) McGowan, Tom. __Robespierre and the French Revolution in World History__. USA:Enslow Publishers,Inc,2000

//**The National Convention -**//
 * 1) __World Book Encyclopedia; Volume 7__. p.453
 * 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Convention

//**September Massacres -**//
 * 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_Massacres
 * 2) Corzine,Phyllis. __The French Revolution__. San Diego: Lucent Books,1995

//**The Girondists -**//
 * 1) __World Book Encyclopedia; Volume 8__. p.172
 * 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girondist
 * 3) http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Girondists

//**The Jacobins -**//
 * 1) __World Book Encyclopedia; Volume 11__. p.9
 * 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobin_Club
 * 3) http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255/kat_anna/jacobins.html

__//***Note: All characters and phrases underlined are answers for the crossword handout.**//__

//**"The Reign of Terror" wikipage created by Antoni M. and Lizelle T.**//