The French Revolution, Part II From Constitutional Monarchy to the Reign of Terror

Division of the French Government Three Groups Conservatives – want things as they had been; monarchy with absolute rule Moderates – most want a king, but want most of the power in the Assembly Radicals – want power to be in the hands of the people and believe everyone should participate in the political process; in addition, want to spread the French Revolution to other countries surrounding France

Once Louis XVI Was Captured There was a big question as to what should be done Within the National Assembly, most conservatives and some moderates want him to be a Constitutional Monarch

Louis Doesn’t Wait Around Louis leaves Paris in an attempt to flee to Austria He is stopped at the city of Varennes when someone sees his signature on his travel documents

Louis is Imprisoned The king and his family return to Paris, where they are “imprisoned” at the Tuileries Palace Still, many support his return to the throne

Austria Steps In The King of Austria is Marie Antoinette’s brother He demands the French return Louis to the throne

This Backfires Completely The Radicals in French government convince France to declare war on Austria, instead

The First Coalition Prussia and England soon join Austria’s side in fighting against France All three nations are afraid the ideas of the Revolution could spread to their countries and threaten their own monarchs In addition to revolution, France is now fighting a war on several fronts

Back in Paris Radicals have gained the greatest control and influence within the city Different groups vie for power within the Assembly

Two Biggest Groups The Jacobins, led by Maximilien Robespierre The Girondins, led by Georges Danton

Jacobins and Girondins Both groups are considered radicals, but the Jacobins moreso Jacobins had greater numbers and more influence in Paris Girondins had some influence in Paris, but are more influential in other parts of France

Poor Old Louis Under the radicals, the Assembly gave up on the idea of a Constitutional Monarchy Deposed the king, then dissolved themselves to form a new legislature

The National Convention The new body is called the National Convention Takes office in September 1792 The Jacobins have the most power within this new legislature

Under Jacobin Rule The monarchy is officially abolished; Louis won’t be king, and neither will anyone else Louis XVI is tried for treason, and is found guilty By a very close vote between the Jacobins and Girodins, he is sentenced to death

January 21, 1793 Louis XVI is executed by guillotine

The Committee of Public Safety This was created to root out the enemies of France Members were supposed to be equal, but the committee was dominated by Robespierre

Committee’s Power Since the Committee of Public Safety could rule that anyone was an enemy of France, they in effect ruled the country

July 1793 – July 1794 During this time, Robespierre is pretty much the dictator of France This period is known as the Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror France is now still trying to bring the ideas of the Revolution to pass In addition, it is still fighting with Austria, Prussia, and England On top of that, it now has pockets of resistance and an all-out civil war going on in the Vendees

The Reign of Terror To combat this, and to bring about order, Robespierre and the Jacobins come up with an extremely radical plan They will try to create a new Republic of France largely by killing anyone who opposes their ideas for new Republic of France

The Death Toll of the Terror Is difficult to guess In Paris, more than 12,000 people went to the guillotine There were occasionally as many as 50 or more executions per day

Outside of Paris The records are much less clear Guillotines existed in any number of cities In addition, firing squads and other methods were used

Paranoia Once Again Grew No one knew just who was going to end up on a list of those who were enemies of France Robespierre even went so far as to have Danton sent to the guillotine

Finally, the Terror Has to End Eventually the National Convention grows tired of the bloodshed, but Robespierre keeps coming up with lists of enemies of France

The End of Robespierre When coming to deliver yet another list of enemies, Robespierre is shouted down in the Assembly He is arrested on a charge of treason That night, two of his followers commit suicide; Robespierre blows off a portion of his own jaw in an apparent suicide attempt

The End of Robespierre Robespierre is found guilty of treason; he cannot speak in his own defense due to his shattered jaw He is sentenced to death by guillotine

July 28, 1794 Robespierre goes to the guillotine Thus ends the Reign of Terror

After Robespierre Moderates return to power in the National Convention They set up a new governing body called the Directory The Directory will hold power for the next five years, from 1794-1799