Evaluate the Causes of the Terror
Introduction:
Must define when the Terror started Much of what Colin Jones
called the ‘dark machinery of state terror’ began before the rise of
Robespierre and the CPS and continued into the Thermidorian
regime
Practises associated with the terror, such as imprisonment for
political views, persecution of counterrevolutionaries and repression
present throughout French revolution
Furet argued that terror was ‘built-in’ to revolutionary action from its
early days – the power of the Jacobins and sans-culottes in 1793-4
was intrinsically connected to mob violence
‘Jacobin’ terror was not only form of revolutionary terror terror
through street violence carried out by sans-culottes e.g. September
Massacres 1792
o In response to these episodes that revolutionary leaders
adopted coercive forms of government
o ‘Let us be terrible in order to stop the people from doing so’
Danton
Main cause was extreme political stability in France and lack of a
structured constitution in the face of internal crisis and external
threats
o Instability showed itself in religious and popular rebellions
Political instability and lack of a structured constitution most
important
Republican government faced infighting and power struggles e.g.
Girondins prosecuted Marat members of National Convention not
allowed to be prosecuted, and Jacobins dismissed leading Girondins
Unpopularity of the Girondins more moderate towards treatment
of King and supported war whereas Robespierre wanted peace and
felt best way of governance was without King
Had not been able to replace King within 1791 Constitution
Lacked a clear and functioning constitutional framework, which
allowed Jacobins to consolidate power through popular pressure
o Actions of the government were unchallenged and lawful
o With a Constitution, it could be argued Jacobins would not
have been able to exert the same power over the French
population with checks in balances
Political instability also fuelled economic crisis deprecation of
currency and shortages of food was blamed on ‘hoarders’ and
‘counterrevolutionaries’ by the Jacobins’
‘The evil that besets us is that we have no government’ Jeanbon
Saint-André
Radicalisation of the sans-culottes dominated Paris and Paris
Commune (as seen in 1792 September Massacres) which allowed
them to influence opinion and control over Jacobin
Introduction:
Must define when the Terror started Much of what Colin Jones
called the ‘dark machinery of state terror’ began before the rise of
Robespierre and the CPS and continued into the Thermidorian
regime
Practises associated with the terror, such as imprisonment for
political views, persecution of counterrevolutionaries and repression
present throughout French revolution
Furet argued that terror was ‘built-in’ to revolutionary action from its
early days – the power of the Jacobins and sans-culottes in 1793-4
was intrinsically connected to mob violence
‘Jacobin’ terror was not only form of revolutionary terror terror
through street violence carried out by sans-culottes e.g. September
Massacres 1792
o In response to these episodes that revolutionary leaders
adopted coercive forms of government
o ‘Let us be terrible in order to stop the people from doing so’
Danton
Main cause was extreme political stability in France and lack of a
structured constitution in the face of internal crisis and external
threats
o Instability showed itself in religious and popular rebellions
Political instability and lack of a structured constitution most
important
Republican government faced infighting and power struggles e.g.
Girondins prosecuted Marat members of National Convention not
allowed to be prosecuted, and Jacobins dismissed leading Girondins
Unpopularity of the Girondins more moderate towards treatment
of King and supported war whereas Robespierre wanted peace and
felt best way of governance was without King
Had not been able to replace King within 1791 Constitution
Lacked a clear and functioning constitutional framework, which
allowed Jacobins to consolidate power through popular pressure
o Actions of the government were unchallenged and lawful
o With a Constitution, it could be argued Jacobins would not
have been able to exert the same power over the French
population with checks in balances
Political instability also fuelled economic crisis deprecation of
currency and shortages of food was blamed on ‘hoarders’ and
‘counterrevolutionaries’ by the Jacobins’
‘The evil that besets us is that we have no government’ Jeanbon
Saint-André
Radicalisation of the sans-culottes dominated Paris and Paris
Commune (as seen in 1792 September Massacres) which allowed
them to influence opinion and control over Jacobin
