FRENCH REVOLUTION: Reign of terror.

REIGN OF TERROR:

1) Explain in a paragraph or two, what happened in France following the execution of King Louis.

2) What were the main causes of the ‘Reign of Terror’?

3) Approximately what percentage of those guillotined were nobles and clergy?

4) Look at sources 1 – 5 and at the information on the Committee for Public Safety. Do you think the system of Tribunals in France was fair? Explain why, giving examples from each source.

5) Using sources 4 and 5, and the information on the Terror continuing, what examples of particular ‘horrors’ are there? Explain at least 3, in full.

6) How and why do you think the Terror came to an end?

7) Was Robespierre to blame for the Terror? Answer in a short paragraph, using the sources, the information and the fact file on Robespierre.

1.      After the execution of King Louis, society was divided into two groups: the JACOBINS who were a radical sort of French revolutionary and the GIRONDINS, who were moderate sort of French revolutionary. In February, it was clear that the war was still going badly for France. And in March, there was a peasant revolt in Vendee, in the northwest. In August, the Jacobins declared that ‘Terror is the order of the day’. By the late summer, many areas of France were rebelling against the new radical Jacobin government.

2.      The main causes of the reign of terror were that people was obsessed with the anti-revolution feeling so thousands of people were suspected of anti-revolutionary activities or of helping France’s enemies. All of them were sent to the guillotine even if there was no evidence to accuse them.

3.      The guillotined nobles and clergy were about the 14% of all the guillotined people.

4.      The committee for public safety was not totally fair because all the people accused of being traitors were condemned to death without a trial. And many of the executed people may have been innocent. Jacobins were blind because of the fear of the anti-revolutionary feelings and because people could plot against them.

5.       

·         Marie Plaisant was executed for having exclaimed that she did not care about for the nation. It was really unfair that they killed her since people should have freedom to express their opinions.

·         Henriette Francoise Marboeuf, aged 55, convicted of having hoped for the arrival of the Austrians and Prussians and of keeping food for them, condemned to death and executed the same day. His death was unjust because there was no proof of their hopes of an Austrian invasion.

·         Francois Bertrand, aged37, publican, convicted of having provided the defenders of the country with sour wine, condemned and executed the same day. She may have had good intentions to help others so she did not deserve death.

6.       The terror came to an end because the Jacobin’s major fear was an Austrian invasion and when they saw that the threat of an invasion decreased, they stopped accusing people. They saw the need for the emergency government.

7.      I think that Robespierre was guilty for the terror because as a leader he authorized the execution of thousands of people that could have been innocent. He had a quite contradictory policy. And after all he received the same condemn as the rest of people had.