The Justification of The Reign of Terror During The French Revolution

Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror was a radical event during the French Revolution with Maximillen Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat. This event, dependent on the views could be justified, unjustified and mostly justified. This period of the time had many executions, which the government sought out to reduce their problems.

Following the king Louis XVI’s execution, hostilities with a range of European powers and immoderate divisions within the National Convention ushered the French Revolution into its most violent and turbulent phase. In June 1793, the Jacobins seized manipulate of the National Convention from the increased life like Girondins and instituted a sequence of radical measures, which includes the institution of a new calendar and the eradication of Christianity. They additionally unleashed the bloody Reign of Terror (la Terreur), a 10-month measurement in which suspected enemies of the revolution have been guillotined via ability of way of way of the thousands. Many of the killings had been carried out below orders from Robespierre, who dominated the draconian Committee of Public Safety until his personal execution on July 28, 1794.

The Reign of Terror could be justified. Before the Reign of Terror, the King and Queen of France were found guilty, by Robespierre, of being traitors by trying to go to Austria to get an army against the rebels. As a result, the National Assembly was born. The National Assembly, with the leadership of Robespierre, was designed to give every man equal rights. The National Assembly was a new form of government, made to ensure that every man in France is equal. Also, to fix the financial problems, with France in debt and poverty was increasing. The Civil Constitution of the clergy was made, where the clergy and nobles, were now to have the same things as the rest of the population, bringing all the estates into one. The letter from the Vendee to the National Convention expressed that the government was losing poorly to the rebels. This shows within the lines, and “Without these departments [lack of troops], this unfortunate region would today have fallen to the rebels.”. These documents show that the government was losing to the rebels, with its inside and outside threats, which caused the government to go to extremes measures, therefore justifying the Reign of Terror.

The Reign of Terror could also be unjustified. Within the times of the National Assembly’s control the have created the Declaration of Rights of Man, created to ensure the people’s rights, but made loopholes. In Document A, where some of the rights declared in the Declaration of Rights of Man. The ninth right clearly states that “All persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty…”, in other words, everyone has a right to a fair trial. However, in Document D, there is a bar graph showing the amount of people that were executed with or without a trail. The number of people that were executed without a trial was around 1,200 people accused, who could have been innocent. This causes the Reign of Terror to be unjustified because Document D contradicts what is said in Document A, showing that the government was unfair and corrupt. Additionally, the National Assembly continued with their corrupted ways. They also abolished monarchy, which was the form of government that most of France wanted, so the National Assembly weren’t applying to the demands of the majority. Furthermore, the National Assembly was known to be made up of Jacobins. Jacobins were a radical party, where they take everything to the extreme. The people’s rights were slowly being taken away, which is why the Rebellion in the Vendee occurred, aiming for the return of monarchy.

The Reign of Terror could also be mostly justified. Jean- Paul Marat, one of the leaders of the National Assembly, promoted the Reign of Terror. Marat said that there are enemies everywhere, therefore the Reign of Terror was necessary. No one believed Marat until he was assassinated in his bathtub by Mad Marie Ann Charlotte Corday, then people started to realize that Marat was right. This caused Corday to be called to an execution. In Document C, it was the day of Corday’s execution. The people supported the Reign of Terror, which shown in the lines, “The Executioner showed it [ Corday’s head ]… to the people, and the blood which was then extravasated, had restored to her cheeks, its former animated glow: – shouts of Vive la Republique [ Long Live The Republic ] were new heard.”. This shows that the people believed Marat’s belief and at one point, supported the Reign of Terror. In Document E, Maximillen Robespierre, the leader of both the National Assembly and the Reign of Terror, is a speech he made to the National Convention. In this speech, Robespierre is basically trying to convince and spread his idea of the Reign of Terror. In one of his reasons, it states that the government should only protect peaceful citizens, and that the enemies inside of France are one in the same with the enemies outside of France. This shows in the lines, “Social protection is due only to peaceful citizens.”, and “The royalists [ those that favor monarchy ], the conspirators are, in the eye, only strangers or, rather enemies… Are not the enemies within, the allies of these without?”

In essence, The Reign of Terror, depending on the perspective can be justified, unjustified, or even mostly justified.

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