The Terror

1. The Terror September 5, 1793, - July 28 1794

2. Background of the Terror • At this point, the sans-culottes had taken over the French Government • They formed The Convention • France was now officially a Republic • There were two rival factions in this new government. • Girondists were preferred to talk about problems rather than take action. They were more theorists and less revolutionary. Most of the Legislative Assembly were Girondists. • Jacobins were also a political group. They were radical and wanted change, and were not afraid of violence.

3. Background of the Terror • For a while, the Girondists and Jacobins were balanced in The Convention. • However, the Jacobins convinced the Convention to arrest many Girondists, saying that they were “anti-revolutionary”. This gave the Jacobins a majority in the government. Why would the Jacobin majority be a bad thing?What issues do you think it might have caused?

4. The Jacobins • The Jacobins were a political group, led by three important figures. • Maximilian Robespierre • Head of the Committee for Public Safety • Georges Danton • Political leader. Was head of the group who hunted down Louis XVI when the King briefly escaped. • Jean-Paul Marat • Political writer. Very popular with the people of France

5. MARAT • Marat was important because he was so popular. • He had a skin condition, and later in his political career, was forced to spend a lot of time in his bath. • He published his radical views in a way that made them easy for the average Frenchman to read. • He supported flushing out “enemies of the revolution” through any means. He had no pity for them and encouraged his readers to take the same stance. • His writings supported and encouraged violence to protect the republic.

6. DANTON • Danton is often credited as being the one who decided to guillotine the King. • He was the first President of the Committee for Public Safety. This job would later go to Robespierre. He said, “The kings of Europe would dare challenge us? We throw them the head of a king!” Danton is also the one who was in charge of arresting Girondists, and removing them from power…giving the Jacobins the majority.

7. ROBESPIERRE • Robespierre was perhaps the most influential person during The Terror. • He was against the war with Austria and Prussia, saying that wars led to dictators. • Robespierre was also an excellent public speaker and was very good at changing people’s opinions. • He was the head of the Committee for Public Safety for most of the Terror. Ultimately, he was leader of France. Robespierre was given the title “the uncorruptable” by his supporters. His enemies called him “dictateur sanguinaire” - “our bloody dictator”.

8. The Terror Begins • The Convention is in charge of France, however, the Convention gave a lot of power to the Committee for Public Safety. • The Convention passed several laws to protect its new Republic. • There was Price Fixing of bread and grain - this meant that there was a cap to how much bread could cost. However, there was still a famine, and farmers suffered. • This law also set fixed wages - people made a set amount based on their jobs. The Law of Suspects The Law of Suspects said that anyone who did not follow the new government, or who was considered an enemy of the revolution, could be arrested (and usually executed). These people were officially charged with “crimes against liberty”.

9. The Law of Suspects • The Law of Suspects was designed to flush out anti-revolutionaries. However… • Most people executed for violating the Law of Suspects were accused of hoarding food, evading the draft, leaving the army (deserting), and other minor crimes. • A large percentage of those found guilty were also Girondists… • Also, there was little investigating - anyone could be accused. Most of the time there was no trial - an accusation was enough to find you guilty. After all, why would an innocent person ever be a suspect?

10. Death of Marat • By June of 1793, Marat’s skin condition had gotten so bad that he left the Convention. Instead, he worked from home, often in his tub. • One day in July, Charlotte Corday (a Girondist) visited Marat. • She claimed to have information about other Girondists who were living in hiding. She said she wanted to report them. • She gave Marat a list of names… • While Marat was busy reading, Corday pulled a 5 inch knife from her bodice and stabbed him in the chest. According to Corday’s account, Marat read the names and said, “I shall have them all guillotined in Paris.” Corday said at her trial: “I killed one man to save 100,000!”

11. “Death of Marat” Painted 1793 “Charlotte Corday” Painted 1860 Death of Marat - Comparison

12. Death of Marat • “Death of Marat” - 1793 • This image was painted by Jacques-Louis David, who was a close friend of Marat. • It was painted almost immediately after Marat’s death. • David wanted to show Marat as a martyr for the revolution. • He also wanted Marat to be idealized. • “Charlotte Corday” - 1860 • Painted by Paul Jacques Aime Baudry, during the Second Empire. • At this point in history, Marat was no longer popular. His ideas were seen as too extreme. • Here, Charlotte is shown as a “Heroine of France”, who took action and helped stop the Terror. In your notebooks: Which image do you think is more accurate? Which shows the true events, and the real Marat?

13. Other Changes • The Committee for Public Safety also made other changes to France • Gender Equality • Women and men were made more equal citizens. • Women could now own property and inherit from their fathers. • Both men and women could get divorces. • Universal Education • The Committee wanted to make sure that people could never be oppressed again, and so made education mandatory and free.

14. Other Changes • The Committee for Public Safety also wanted to get rid of the Church. • They said, “God is Dead”. • Instead, people were encouraged to worship “Reason”. Cathedrals (like Notre Dame) were turned into “Temples of Reason” Atheism Atheism - belief that there is no God at all became popular Deism Many people who had been religious turned to Deism - a general belief that there is a “Great Watchmaker” that put things in motion, but does not actively do anything.

15. Other Changes • The Committee also decided to change the calendar. • All religious holidays were removed, as were weekends. • The French Republican Calendar was made up of 12 months. Each month had three weeks. Each week was 10 days long. • On the 10th day of each week, there was a day of rest, but this was not religious. • Year 1 of the calendar was 1792 - the beginning of the French Republic. • Months and days of the week were also re-named, to remove any religious connotation.

16. French Republican Calendar • If we followed the French Republican Calendar, we would be in the month of Vendémiaire • “Vendémiaire” means “Harvesting”, it is the first fall month of the Calendar. • This year, it lasts from September 22 - October 21. • Today (October 4, 2011) is: • Duodi, 12 Vendémiaire, CCXX • Second-day-of-the-week, 12th day of the month of harvesting, 220 years after the start of the French Republic. Days of the Week There were 10 days in a week Primidi, Duodi, Tridi, Quartidi, Quintidi, Sexidi, Septidi, Octidi, Nonidi, and Decadi. What do you notice about the names of these days?

17. The Terror Continues • By 1794, The Terror was getting more out of hand. • 30,000 people were executed in Paris alone. • People were reporting their neighbors as enemies of the revolution, simply to throw suspicion off of themselves. • There was a mob mentality - anyone who started being too popular was executed. People feared a new king or a dictator. • In April, the Committee for Public Safety executed Danton - a leader of the Jacobins, and popular public figure. • Many think that Robespierre feared Danton’s power, and so eliminated him as competition.

18. Death of Robespierre • People were getting scared, and by July of 1794, a group of bourgeoisie - members of the Convention - managed to arrest Robespierre. • Robespierre, like the thousands he had sentenced to execution himself, was sent to the guillotine. • According to legend, Robespierre was guillotined face up. • The executioner tore off Robespierre’s bandage (holding his broken jaw in place) and Robespierre screamed. • His scream was cut off by the blade of the guillotine. Robespierre’s last words were, “Thank you, sir.” His jaw had been broken during his arrest, and a man had given him a handkerchief to soak up the blood.

19. The Directory • Because of The Terror, the Committee for Public Safety, and the Convention were removed from power. • The Directory - made up of Bourgeoisie (not sans-culottes, like the Convention) was now in control of Paris. • However, the Directory wasn’t very popular. People didn’t trust this group of Bourgeoisie, after what happened with the Terror.

20. The Consulate - 1799 • After winning a decisive victory against Austria, the French Army was finally retuning to Paris. • The people wanted a new government, and decided on a Consulate. • A Consulate is like a Presidency. In this case, the government would be led by 3 consuls, who would keep one another in check. • The members of the Consulate needed a First Consul, to be the primary leader of France.

21. The Consulate - 1799 • In 1799, The Consulate offered the position to a popular young General in the French army. Napoleon Bonaparte