The Terror and Great Terror 1793-94

Question 1

How many cases had the Revolutionary Tribunal heard in September to December compared to March to September and why?

Answer 1

-500,000 (sept-dec) compared to 260
-Due to the law of suspects which made more people liable to suspicion

Question 2

How many people were guillotined in September to December compared to March to September?

Answer 2

-180, just in Paris,( sept-dec)

-compared to 66 before september

Question 3

Why was Jacques Roux killed?

Answer 3

-Jacques Roux was a political agitator and popular among s.c. and was integral in the 5th sept. journee so was arrested (he then committed suicide) after s.c. were placated by sept. reforms
-Jacques Roux also led the enrages`

Question 4

When did “Terror become the order of the day”?

Answer 4

-From 5th September onwards

Question 5

When was Marie Antoinette guillotined?

Answer 5

-Marie guillotined on the 16th October after being tried by the revolutionary tribunal

-she was accused of orgies, squandering finances and conspiracy against the state

Question 6

When did the 21 expelled Girondins trial begin and when were they executed?

Answer 6

-began on 24th October 1793
-were guillotined on 31st October 1793

Question 7

When was the Duc d’Orleans guillotined and why?

Answer 7

-6th November 1793
-His son had defected with Demouriez

Question 8

When was Madame Roland guillotined and why?

Answer 8

-8th November

-Salonniere Madame Roland was executed because of her marriage to the disgraced Girondin minister Roland who had run away

Question 9

What places suffered severely to the Terror?

Answer 9

-The Vendee, Nantes,:7873 were guillotined and mass drownings of 2000 people in River Loire between Nov.
1793 and Jan. 1794

-Toulon: Recaptured on the 19th December and 700-800 prisoners killed

-Lyon: By the end of 1794, 2000 had been executed using canon grape shot which led to the Convention telling them to halt those methods by the end of the month (despite surrendering in December)

Question 10

Who carried out dechristianisation?

Answer 10

-The Sans culottes ( so dechristianisation was mainly centered in Paris)
-Was encouraged by Herbert and Chaumette
-Fouche (rep en mission) in Nievre carried out dechristianisation campaign from Sept. 1793

Question 11

What replaced many religious ornaments in Paris?

Answer 11

-Busts of political agitator Marat who was assassinated in 13 July 1793
-Replaced figures on Notre Dame Cathedral

Question 12

What was the Notre Dame Cathedral converted to?

Answer 12

-“Temple of Reason”

Question 13

When was the Festival of Reason and who organised it?

Answer 13

-November 1793
-Organised by the Paris commune and radicalist Herbert, was not supported by convention and Robespierre

Question 14

How was religious toleration reaffirmed by Robespierre?

Answer 14

-After an attack on local Jacobin club In Brie in December, decree of liberty of cults was passed after Robespierre persuaded convention

Question 15

What did the Law of Frimaire Year II (December 1793)do?

Answer 15

-It gave CPS power over all Governing bodies
-revolutionary armees were disbanded from March 1794 (sept. in Paris)
-Popular societies and local patriotic committees were closed down

Question 16

How did Robespierre justify the law of Frimaire and what was its real intention

Answer 16

-Robespierre justified it by saying opposing governing bodies had begun to form
-Its real intention was to curb s.c power and it achieved this through removing leadership through societies and disbanding revolutionary armees

Question 17

What two opposing groups emerged in 1794 against the CPS and Robespierre?

Answer 17

-Herbertists, led by radical journalist Herbert
-The “indulgents” led by Danton and Desmoulins

Question 18

What did a) the Herberists and b) the indulgents criticise Robespierre for?

Answer 18

a) Herbertists criticised Robespierre for creating a dictatorship
b) Indulgents wanted the terror to be scaled back as it appeared to achieve its aims as federalist revolt and Vendee had been dealt with, but Robespierre wanted the continuation

Question 19

How did the 2 laws of Ventose attempt to appease s.c. after Law of Frimaire and when were they passed?

Answer 19

-January and March 1794
- Promised patriots land from Counter-revolutionaries
-Was not carried out effectively and mostly ignored.

Question 20

How did Saint-Just justify arresting Herbert and 18 associates and then executing the herbertists and when were they guillotined?

Answer 20

-24 March 1794
-Saint Just reported to the convention and denounced the Indulgents and the Herbertists and there were rumours of Herbetisits wanting to kill members of the Convention

Question 21

When were the Indulgents arrested and why?

Answer 21

-30 March 1794
-Evidence of Desmoulins and Danton involved in illegal financing

Question 22

When were Desmoullins and Danton executed and with how many other associates?

Answer 22

-5 April 1794
-13 other associates

Question 23

Who did the term “triumvirate”

Answer 23

-Robespierre
-Saint-Just
-Couthon

Question 24

How many people were guillotined between March and June 1794?

Answer 24

-1000

Question 25

Why was the Cult of Supreme Being established by Robespierre?

Answer 25

-Felt like dechristianisation campaign by s.c. had gone too far and needed some sort of religon to keep s.c. in check

Question 26

What was the Law of Germinal (18 April 1794)

Answer 26

-It set up a Police Bureau to root out CRs -Banned former nobles and foreigners from living in Paris, ports and frontier cities -Led by Saint-Just and then Robespierre from May

Question 27

When was the a)Cult of Supreme Being announced and b)when was the Festival of the Supreme Being?

Answer 27

-a) 7 May 1794 -b) 8 June 1794

Question 28

When were all provincial Revolutionary Tribunals closed down and what did this mean?

Answer 28

-8 May 1794- Law of Floreal - Meant all prisoners would have to be transported to Paris to be tried

Question 29

What was the Law of 22 Prarial (10th June 1794) ?

Answer 29

-All enemies of the people were tried in the Paris Revolutionary Tribunals as acquittal rates were higher in provinces -Trials could not take longer than 3 days -No witnesses or defences were needed -Removed other legislation which meant deputies in the convention no longer had immunity from prosecution -Tribunal only had 2 verdicts : death or acquittal

Question 30

Why were the CGS and the convention annoyed by the Law of Prairial?

Answer 30

-It was passed without discussion and approval of the convention

Question 31

From which months did the Great Terror span?

Answer 31

-10th of June (when the law of priarial was passed) to the 26 of July

Question 32

How many people were a)sentenced to death and b) acquitted during the Great Terror?

Answer 32

-1278 sentences of death -278 acquittals

Question 33

What law was passed that angered s.c. and perhaps enabled the coup of Thermidor?

Answer 33

-5 Thermidor (23rd July 1794) -Set a Maximum wage cap to stop wages from rising illegally

Question 34

What did Robespierre do on the 8 Thermidor (26 July 1794)

Answer 34

- Gave a speech to the Convention and attacked CGS, members of the CPS after 3 weeks of no appearance -He then failed to name the people he was accusing

Question 35

What effect did Robespierre's speech have on the convention?

Answer 35

-Made everyone fearful of being branded as an enemy of the people and so they created decrees to arrest Robespierre, couthon and Saint Just on the 27 of July.