Radical Days Of The French Revolution Essay

639 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: French revolution analysis

Radical Days of the Revolution “Along the Paris streets, the death-carts rumble, hollow and harsh. Six tumbrils carry the day’s wine to La Guillotine.” This is a part of Charles Dickens’s novel, A Tale of Two Cities, which describes daily life during the Reign of Terror. Radical phase is one of the bloodiest periods during the French Revolution, which led the revolution to the climax and changed France a lot. This essay will talk about some significant events occurred during the radical phase of the French Revolution, such as the repeal of the monarchy, dominated Terror, and the beginning of the third stage.
First and foremost, the monarchy was abolished, because of the institution of the Nation Convention. The failure of the war with Prussia …show more content…

The war continued between France and other European countries. Soon, because of the chaos both from internal rebellion and external war, the Convention created the Committee of Public Safety to save the Revolution. The 12-member committee needed to prepare France for a war, issue Levee en masse, and be in charge of trials and executions. Robespierre, a shrewd lawyer and politician, served as vital leader of the Committee of Public Safety and the chief architects of the Reign of Terror. He believed that France could achieve a “republic of virtue” only through the use of terror. Later, large populations were identified as suspect. During the whole process, nearly 300,000 people were arrested and 17,000 executed by guillotine. Also, the guillotine became a symbol of horror, although it was originally built for more humane method of beheading than the uncertain ax. In July 1794, members from the Convention arrested Robespierre and executed him, since they are disgusted with bloodshed and terrified for their own lives. Eventually, the Reign of Terror

Show More
Related

  • Communist Controversy over Film Salt of the Earth

    2827 Words  | 6 Pages

    the French Revolution. Hunt, Lynn & Censer, Jack. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press (2001)

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The French Revolution And Napoleon

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    Due to the fanatical aspirations of men such as Danton and Robespierre,who were very radical, it would be only a matter of months before the moderate stage of social and political reform was transformed into a radical phase of barbaric and violent force. Danton and Robespierre used Mara as a face of the Saint Jacobs Club since he was typically a great friend to the people to justify their actions of killing Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette along with their children and 40,000 others with the guillotine to stop anyone thought to support the counter revolution. Robespierre wrote “Justification of the Use of Terror” to inform the people that terror is necessary to weed out anyone who opposes the republic. The radical forces were able to gain the support of the citizens in declaring that the constitution of 1791 was ineffective and useless since it did not suit the needs of all the population of France. The declaration of the rights of man and of citizen did not include women, slaves, and minorities as well as not giving any specific shape to the government Another cause of the radical stage was the growth of a counter revolution.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Radicalism Of The American Revolution

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Revolution was the most radical and far reaching event in American history.” This is the premise of Gordon S. Wood’s book The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Within these pages Wood attempts to prove that the American Revolution was radical because it fundamentally changed the social and political structures of colonial America, structures that had always been fused together. Accordingly, he asserts that the separation of these institutions forms the basis of his argument for radicalism.

    Read More

  • French Revolution Dbq

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beginning in mid-1789, and lasting until late-1799, the French Revolution vastly changed the nation of France throughout its ten years. From the storming of the Bastille, the ousting of the royal family, the Reign of Terror, and all the way to the Napoleonic period, France changed vastly during this time. But, for the better part of the last 200 years, the effects that the French Revolution had on the nation, have been vigorously debated by historian and other experts. Aspects of debate have focused around how much change the revolution really caused, and the type of change, as well as whether the changes that it brought about should be looked at as positive or negative. Furthermore, many debate whether the Revolutions excesses and shortcomings can be justified by the gains that the revolution brought throughout the country.

    Read More

  • The American Revolution Essay

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    Revolutions are usually described as “radical” events. A “radical” event is defined as one that greatly changes the political, cultural, social, and/or economic nature of a society. I believe that the American Revolution was a radical event that dramatically changed our society. There were many impacts to the changes such as slavery, primogeniture, the Articles of Confederation, republican motherhood, and government. This was the time in life, that we as America gained our independence from Britain. The American Revolution is what shaped our world to become what it is today.

    Read More

  • The Radical Period of The French Revolution

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    The revolution took a sharp turn on August 9th, 1792. The Municipal government was overthrown in Paris and a Commune was established by the leaders of the radical forces. During this time there were continual food riots erupting in every area of the country and, with the threat of war against Austria and Prussia looming, it was vital that order was to be maintained during such tumultuous times. Although the constitution was already enshrined and the citizens had their freedom and liberties, there was still plenty of public dissent and disapproval as to whether or not these laws would help create a new government and prevent the country from breaking apart. The people had come this far and were not prepared to watch their efforts lead to failure or the restoration of an absolute monarch.

    Read More

  • French Revolution Dbq Essay

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and the monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy

    Read More

  • Reign Of Terror Dbq Essay

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    A guillotine is a decapitation device that quickly chops off it’s victims head in the blink of an eye. According to document F, About 16,000 people were believed to have died at the hands of it. No matter how small or petty a crime was, people would have been executed for it. Even Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, the leaders of France before the Revolution, were decapitated by one, as was the leader of the Reign of Terror, Maximilien Robespierre. Another method to weed out the counter revolutionaries was a network of spies that watched out for anyone who spoke out against the government, “A careless word of criticism spoken against the government could put one in prison or worse” (Document E). The punishment for a crime as small as ththis was more often than not

    Read More

  • The Abolition of the Feudal System in France

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    New York: Barnes & Noble, 1969. Print. The. Kreis, Steven. A. A. "Lecture 12: The French Revolution - Moderate Stage, 1789-1792.

    Read More

  • Was The Reign of Terror Justified?

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    A rather ominous name for the unaware; “The Reign of Terror”. An oblivious person could completely bypass the horrifying events related to the French Revolution, had it been named differently. The title for these events is appropriate from my perspective. Those four words could easily interest a curious, ordinary person, and so the history can survive, along with the information transferring to yet another carrier. Of course, everyone can benefit from knowing a few terms that can increase your understanding of the topic. An absolute monarch is a person that has absolute power among his or her people. The Estates General is a representative body drawn from the three ‘estates’ into which society had been theoretically divided. A fraternity is a group of people sharing a common profession or interests. A radical person is a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform. The device used to execute most people was the guillotine: a machine with a heavy blade sliding vertically in grooves, used for beheading people. The Reign of Terror is generally defined as a period of remorseless repression or bloodshed, but in particular, it is the period of the Terror during the French Revolution. Conservatives are people that hold to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation. Now that we can speak of our topic with more knowledge of terms typically used for this subject, we can address the pending question. Was The Reign of Terror justified? An outstanding amount of people died for good and bad reasons. Every system was corrupt, there was practically no right and wrong; no order, just rebellion. Several conflicting arguments can be made, but there is a definite decision to make in this situatio...

    Read More

  • The French Revolution

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the eighteenth century, France was one of the richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution was the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The first and main reason for the French Revolution was the terrible leadership of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.

    Read More

  • Twelve Who Ruled

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his book Twelve Who Ruled, Palmer eloquently writes this narrative, "weaving the biographies of the twelve into the history of their time," and provides a coherent and convincing explanation of the terror. The book is not only educational for someone interested in the time period when these twelve men ruled the nation of France, but it is also enjoyable from the perspective of a person reading the book solely for interest in revolutions and how they affect the people who are involved in them. The book deals with a brief period of time during the French Revolution, namely the year of terror. The book ventures to interpret the foundations and rationale for the terror and Palmer illustrates his speculations on the subject through gracious, flowing writing.

    Read More

  • The Reign of Terror: Was it Justified?

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though, the French Revolution saw the Terror as a sign to create peace and restore a new France, it was not justified because the extremities of the internal and external threats spun out of control and the methods of the period were over the top. As the Reign of Terror in France grew and invoked fear, the internal threats became more radical and deadly. The French Revolution began in 1789 as an attempt to create a new and fair government. (Doc A) As year four of freedom lurched, the thirst for power in Maximilien Robespierre stirred and the hunger for more blood provoked him, urging him to create the Reign of Terror.

    Read More

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of the Reign of Terror

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Almost instantaneously after the death of Louis XVI in 1793, the Committee of Public Safety took over with Maximilien de Robespierre as head. Those in control believed that anyone blocking their path to liberty should be annihilated, and went to many extents to do so. From 1793 to 1794 France was in the midst of the Reign of Terror, which was characterized by mass executions. Those who supported the revolution thought of the executions as a step on the path to liberty; however, others stood firmly against the revolution as did many outside of France.

    Read More

  • The Reign of Terror

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ic Safety, stated that the revolutionary government will protect the good citizens while punishing the enemies of the government. He justifies the terror by saying it is only punishing the enemies of the state while protecting the god citizens from another revolution. Being the leader of the committee he has been trusted with making decisions on behalf of the government (Doc4).General Ronsin, a leader of the revolutionary army, stated how for the anti-revolutionary ideas to truly be gone the ideas need to be exterminated at the source. He though that the new France needed an example to truly understand how the new government treated those who were against them. Being a leader of the army he was a true revolutionary and he saw the terror as a great thing for France; this was because he was unaffected by the terror because he was so high up on the chain of command.

    Read More

More about Radical Days Of The French Revolution Essay

Open Document