terror Flashcards
1
Q
What was the great terror?
A
The set of laws passed between 10th of June to the 27th of July, under which the CPS passed laws to centralise control of oppression
2
Q
What was the law of general police?
A
Set up a police bureau to catch counter, revolutionaries and agents to identify suspects
3
Q
what was the law of 19 floreal?
A
Paris revolutionary tribunal, gained jurisdiction over all counts of revolutionary offences
4
Q
what was the law of prarial?
A
19th of June 1794
it widened the definition of political crimes to include basically anyone
guilty verdict were therefore made more likely
it abolished defence councils
there were only two outcomes, death or acquittal,
dropped the acquittal rate to just 20%
5
Q
what happened in the federal revolt ?
A
- SOME FORM OF DISTURBANCE IN 60/83 DEPARTMENTS
- most departments hated the influence of paris sans- culottes on the jacobins
- marseille rebelled following the dismissal of the girondins and this encouraged others to rebel.
- there was a serious revolt in the south (lyon) on the 30th may and bourdeaux revolted
- most signifiicant revolt in toulon. toulon overthrew its town council and closed down its jacobin club.
- the govt cut off food supplies. the town authorities had to negotiate with the british.
- the brits enter 28 aug and destroy half of frances fleet which was on the coast of toulon
- smaller towns in the rhone valley and provence had followed suit
- could be argued as not a significant threat as forces were small: 3500 men.
in boudeaux 400 men for the cause but theg were all unwilling to leave their home base
6
Q
Why did the terror come about?
A
- govt of terror came to be in order to organise the republic against internal and external threats: first period: attack on the Tuileries on 10th August 1792 up to the battle of valmy. the second period lasted from the journee of 31st may to 2 june 1793, when some girondin deputies were arrested and ended with the execution of Robespierre and his enemies
- the political crisis
- Bertrand de Barere. leader of the plain told the contention to recognise: in a state if emergency, no govt could rule by normal standards, the bourgeoise should not isolate itself from the people, whose demands should be satisfied, bourgeoise should retain its control of the alliance with the people
7
Q
What was the machinery of terror?
A
- to tackle anti-republican opposition, te convention passed a range of measures between 10 March - 20 May 1793
- aimed to: identify, place under observation and punish suspects
- to meet at least some of the demands of the sans-culottes
- to make govt more effective and ensure that some of its demands were carried out
8
Q
What was the committee of general security?
A
- given the task of rooting out all anti republican opposition
- 10th March 1793 a revolutionary tribunal was set up in paris to try counter revolutionary suspects, in order to prevent things like the September massacres
- due to resistance to conscription and increased suspicions of generals defecting, the representatives on a mission were sent to te provinces to work alongside military commanders. tey had almost unlimited powers over departments
- comites des surveillance set up in each commune and town, due to the royalist plots such as vendee
- summary execution decree provided for the trial and execution of armed rebels within 24 hours of capture. entitled to no jury and there was no appeal
- harsh laws against emigres: property was confiscated by govt officials and sentenced to be executed if they ever returned to France
9
Q
What was the committee of public security?
A
- purpose was to supervise and speed up the actions of ministers, CPS’ authority superseded them
- depended on the support of the convention for their powers each month
- wanted a committee without extremists. 7 were from the Plain, 2 members from the Montegnards and no Girondins
- wanted to win the support of the public through economic concessions, On May 4 a maximum price was fixed on grain and later on in may it became compulsory for the wealthy to loan money to the government
10
Q
Why were the girondins overthrown?
A
- montegnards had asked the girondins to stop attacking the Parisian sans culottes and te girondin deputies were accused of supporting revolts backed by royalists
- 26 May, RObespieere supported the sans culottes in invited people to place themselves in insurrection against the corrupt girondin deputies
- 31 May an uprising when the news of the Jacobins being overthrown in Lyon reached Paris
- 2nd june 80k national guardsman surrounded the contention and directed their cannon at it. demanded expulsion of girondin deputies and a maximum to be imposed on all essential goods
- the convention was compelled to agree to the arrest of 29 girondin deputies and two ministers
- many departments resented the influence of Paris and its commune over the convention and te power of the Jacobins
- Marseille inhabitants rebelled against the Jacobin club. encouraged by this, anti- Jacobin supporters took control of many other cities in te south
- most serious revolt was in Lyon on 30th May and Bourdeaux also revolted due to the purge of the girondins
- some form of disturbance in 60/83 departments, significant resistance only in 8
- most serious revolt in Toulon, on the Mediteranian coast of France. residents of Toulon were disillusioned with the war, so they overthrew the town council and overthrew the jacobin club
- govt cut off food supplies, so had to negotiate with the British. British troops entered on 28th August, half of the french fleet had been on the coast of Toulon, a significant loss for france
- smaller towns in Rhone valley and province filled suit.
- small number of people revolted, in Bourdeaux only 400, none of them wanted to leave their home base and so the government was able to deal with each area
11
Q
What happened in the federal revolt?
A
- many departments resented the influence of Paris and its commune over the convention and te power of the Jacobins
- Marseille inhabitants rebelled against the Jacobin club. encouraged by this, anti- Jacobin supporters took control of many other cities in te south
- most serious revolt was in Lyon on 30th May and Bourdeaux also revolted due to the purge of the girondins
- some form of disturbance in 60/83 departments, significant resistance only in 8
- most serious revolt in Toulon, on the Mediteranian coast of France. residents of Toulon were disillusioned with the war, so they overthrew the town council and overthrew the jacobin club
- govt cut off food supplies, so had to negotiate with the British. British troops entered on 28th August, half of the french fleet had been on the coast of Toulon, a significant loss for france
- smaller towns in Rhone valley and province filled suit.
- small number of people revolted, in Bourdeaux only 400, none of them wanted to leave their home base and so the government was able to deal with each area
12
Q
How did the sans culotttes dominate and what concessions were given to them?
A
- the commune controlled the national guard
- whilst there was danger from internal and foreign enemies, they were encouraged by the govt to keep a watch on suspects
- always would persuade or intimidate the convention. they shared hatred for the aristocracy
- concessions, what did the convention give into the demands of the sans-culottes?
- a new constitution that went further than the declaration of rights of man, gave them the right to work, have assistance in their time of need and be educated. all adult males should be given the vote
- they demanded conscription to fight the war
- maximum legislation to fix prices, made the hoarding of goods a capital offence
13
Q
What was the impact of the terror in regards to the enrages and the armed revolutionaries?
A
- political extremists in Paris.
- led by Jaques Roux, who saw that the revolution had brought little material improvement for the poor, he denounced the revolution and demanded economic terror: demanded the execution of hoarders, purge of ex-nobles
- Robespierre believed he was threatening the commune and the revolution
- 4th sept, a large crowd gathered to demand bread and higher wages
- the next day, led by Roux, they marched onto the convention and demanded a series of radical changes,
- the convention authorised the formation of a Parisian armee, consisting of sans-culottes in order to confront this counter revolutionary activity and defend the republic
- had to ensure the capital’s food supplies by requisitioning grain in the producing areas of the north.
- the armee revolutionaries was small in numbers and received hostility from the rural population. the authorities didn’t like them since they were anarchic and acted outside of government control
14
Q
What was the impact of the economic terror?
A
- the convention passed a law imposing the death penalty for hoarders
- 29t sept 1793 the general maximum was imposed to control prices
- the peasants disliked the maximum cause it was often set below the cost of production but the sans-culottes needed it to buy bread
- the armee revolutionary clashed with the peasants when they came to impose the maximum
- farmers would stop sowing if tey couldn’t make a profit so the govt needed the cooperation of the wealthy bourgeoise to impose the maximum
- the government revised upwards prices to appease the farmers
- the assignat rose from 22% to 48%
15
Q
What was the impact of the political terror?
A
- 17 September 1793, passed the law of suspects: those against the revolution now included royalists, federalists. the local watch committees would arrest these suspects and send details of the charge to the CGS.
- repression following the federal revolts
- troops moved through vendee and killed every peasant, burned their farms and their crops and raped women. vendee became a depopulated wwasteland
- those that surrendered were shot without a trial
- the CPS ordered the destruction of lyon on 12th October 1793. victims were mown down or guillotened
- troops moved through vendee and killed every peasant, burned their farms and their crops and raped women. vendee became a depopulated wwasteland
