History of France: A Captivating Guide to French History by History Captivating

Author:History, Captivating
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

Illustration 28: The French Revolutionary calendar. Names of months were taken from the natural and agricultural characteristics of the month. Hence, the last month of summer was “Fructidor” for “fruit.”

By the summer of 1794, the people of France and Paris, in particular, had grown weary of the Reign of Terror. Initially, they supported the Terror as a way to either eliminate or cow the enemies of the revolution. These are the times depicted in Dickens’s famous Tale of Two Cities, with its revolutionary crowds screaming for blood, egged on by sans-culottes and revolutionary women, such as the fictional Madame Defarge.

The Reign of Terror lasted from early September 1793 to the end of July 1794, which was when Robespierre and his supporters went to the guillotine themselves. During these ten months or so, it is estimated that some 20,000 or more people were executed by official decree. Many others were killed without record. During the Terror, revolts took place throughout France, and many of those opposing the Terror or the French Revolution were killed. It is important to note that the Terror didn’t just abruptly end; it slowly petered out as people grew weary and moved on to another form of revolutionary government.

Throughout France, people turned on neighbors, rushing to report them for “anti-revolutionary activities” or as “enemies of the people.” This allowed them to get revenge for old arguments, fights over property and businesses, and even love affairs. Once a person was accused, it was very hard to find innocence, especially since most cases were “tried” by People’s Tribunals that met either every day, in the case of Paris and other large cities, or irregularly, in the case of smaller towns. Either way, a lack of harsh prison sentences or executions showed a “lack of revolutionary vigor” and could often get those on the tribunals in hot water themselves. As Danton had reportedly said, “The Revolution, like Saturn, devours its own children.”

The total dead through officially sanctioned executions, of which many were signed off by Robespierre, may never be known. Estimates run from a low 20,000 to over 100,000 or more. What is known is that the Reign of Terror and the rule of the Committee of Public Safety was in many ways the precursor to the multitude of totalitarian governments of the 20th century.

In the end, Robespierre, who had begun as a relatively tolerant man, gradually became convinced that he could lead France into a life of incorruptible “virtue.” The problem was, as he neared the end of his life, Robespierre and those around him began to see enemies everywhere. Not that he didn’t have them—he just thought that there were many more than there were. Making things worse, there had been assassination attempts on Robespierre and others close to him. Robespierre pushed through laws on dissent that rankled other revolutionaries and made them think about the reasons the revolution had begun in the first place.

Robespierre and his cronies also spread lies about people who dared speak against them or the Terror.

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