By: Mr.Snell HRHS World History The Reign of Terror By: Mr.Snell HRHS World History

George Danton George Danton, of the Paris Commune, sought revenge against those who aided the king and resisted the popular will. Many arrests and executions would begin!

September 1792 The National Convention abolished the monarchy and established the French Republic. The convention split into two factions over the fate of the king. 1) The Girondians – Wanted to keep the king alive. 2) The Mountain – Represented Paris’ Radicals. Won in 1793. Sent Louis XVI to the guillotine.

Catholics, conservatives, and now even Girondists began to fight back against the radical measures of the Jacobins. After a well known Jacobin, Jean-Peal Marat, was assassinated by a Girondist, Charlotte Corday, the Convention established a Revolutionary Tribunal to try and execute “enemies of the Revolution” known as counterrevolutionaries.

The Horror… Courts were set up to prosecute internal enemies of the republic. Open executions were held. The city of Lyon was to be made an example of. 1,800 citizens were executed by grapeshot into mass graves, due to guillotine being too slow. Grapeshot = a cluster of small iron balls.

At first Danton and Robespierre concentrated their efforts on the Girondists, Catholics and Monarchists. Robespierre said, “It is necessary to annihilate both the internal and external enemies of the republic or perish with its fall.”

The Slogan of the Revolution Became: “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”

The C.O.P.S. set in motion the Reign of Terror. In short, the Revolution was getting carried away with itself. After the execution of Louis XVI, a new government called the National Convention was elected by universal manhood suffrage. The Convention gave its powers to a special committee of 12, known as the Committee of Public Safety who would protect the French people from the absolute monarchies of Austria and Prussia. The committee quickly drafted every unmarried man between 18 and 25! The C.O.P.S. set in motion the Reign of Terror.

Roughly 40,000 people were killed during the Reign of Terror, 16,000 by the use of the guillotine. People included in death by guillotine were: -Louis XVI -Marie Antoinette -George Danton -Robespierre

Army An army of 1 million men formed within one year’s time. The French pushed back the allies across the Rhine and conquered Austrian Netherlands. The war became known as the “People’s Wars” because the army was established under a new government, formed by the people.

The Republic of Virtue This was Robespierre’s other step to control France and create order. The Republic of Virtue was to be a democratic republic composed of nothing but good citizens.

In reaction to the irrational privileges of the First Estate, the new National Assembly confiscated the property of the Catholic Church and revoked the vows of monks and nuns.

They even rewrote the entire calendar to strip it of any vestiges of religious language – making it more “rational” – and making it difficult for people to remember when the old Christian holidays were. “Dechristianization” The year of Louis XVI’s beheading was renamed Year I, and all events were dated in relation to this historic event.

However, after an assassination attempt, Robespierre became more and more suspicious of everyone around him. Ultimately, he had even Danton guillotined.

Ultimately, the French people rejected the strict “rationalism” and radical agenda of Robespierre and the Jacobins. Robespierre himself was guillotined in 1794 ending the Reign of Terror.

The bourgeoise became the most powerful group in France New Constitution, known as the Constitution of the Year III. Only male property owners could vote. This constitution had a bicameral legislature. The lower house was known as the Council of 500 and the 250 senators were known as the Council of Elders. Five directors were chosen by both houses of the legislature for one year terms. This government was known as the Directory.

However, the five Directors often fought one another – not unlike the First and Second Triumvirates of the Roman Republic. This paved the way for powerful military leaders like Napoleon Bonaparte to come to power in a coup d’etat in 1799. Napoleon said, “I found the crown of France lying on the ground, and I picked it up with my sword.” Coup D’etat – sudden overthrow of government; used by Napoleon to overthrow the directory.

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