The Great French Revolution, 1789-1793

Chapter 69 : Conclusion
When one sees that terrible and powerful Convention wrecking itself in 1794-1795, that proud and strong Republic disappearing, and France, after the demoralizing régime of the Directory, falling under the military yoke of a Bonaparte, one is impelled to ask: "What was the good of the Revolution if the nation had to fall back again under despotism?" In the course of the nineteenth century, this question has been constantly put, and the timid and conservative have worn it threadbare as an argument against revolutions in general. The preceding pages supply the answer. Those who have seen in the Revolution only a change in the Government, those who are ignorant of its economic as well as its educational work, those alone could put such a question. The France we see during the last days of the eighteenth century, at the moment of the coup d'etat on the 18th Brumaire, is not the France that existed before 1789. Would it have been possible fo... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

Chapter 68 : The 9th Thermidor--Triumph of Reaction
Causes of overthrow of Robespierre -- Evils of transfer of land--Republican successes abroad -- Terror continues -- Dantonists, Girondins and "Marsh" unite to overthrow Robespierre -- Unpopularity of Committee of Public Welfare -- Robespierre attacks Barère and Fouché -- His speech in Convention -- Effect of speech -- 9th Thermidor -- Arrest of Robespierre and his associates -- Efforts of Commune -- Capture of Hôtel de Ville -- Execution of Robespierre and Terrorists -- End of Revolution -- Reactionaries continue executions -- Attempted rising of workers -- Execution of last of Montagnards -- Triumph of middle classes -- Royalist manifestations -- Massacres of revolutionists -- Reaction succeeded by Directory -- Final effort of revolutionists -- Napoleon proclaims himself Emperor If Robespierre had many admirers, who adored him, he had also quite as many enemies, who utterly detested him and lost no opportunity of... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

Chapter 67 : The Terror
Steps taken by committees to increase their power -- War with England--Condition of provinces -- Burning of Bedouin -- Special commission formed to deal with arrested citizens -- Robespierre's law of 22nd Prairial -- Effect of law -- Aim of Robespierre -- Attempts on his life -- Arrests and executions -- Terror -- Hatred of Jacobin government After the downfall of their enemies of the Left and of the Right, the committees continued to concentrate more and more power in their own hands. Up to that time there had been six Government departments, which were indirectly subordinate to the Committee of Public Welfare through the intermediary of the Executive Committee composed of six ministers. On the 12th Germinal (April 1) the State departments were suppressed and their place taken by twelve Executive Commissions, each of them under the supervision of a section of the committee.1 Furthermore, the Committee of Public Welfare obta... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

Chapter 66 : Robespierre and his Group
Position and influence of Robespierre -- Causes of his power -- His incorruptibility -- His fanaticism -- His accusation against Fabre -- His character and policy Robespierre has been often mentioned as a dictator; his enemies in the Convention called him "the tyrant," and it is true that as the Revolution drew to a close Robespierre acquired so much influence that he came to be regarded both in France and abroad as the most important person in the Republic. It would, however, be incorrect to represent Robespierre as a dictator, though certainly many of his admirers desired a dictatorship for him.1 We know, indeed, that Cambon exercised considerable authority within his special domain, the Committee of Finance, and that Carnot wielded extensive powers in matters concerning the war, despite the ill-will borne him by Robespierre and Saint-Just. But the Committee of Public Safety was too jealous of its controll... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

Chapter 65 : Fall of the Hebertists--Danton Executed
Struggle between revolutionists and counter-revolutionists continues -- Robespierre and commissioners of Convention -- Triumph of Hébertists -- Great speech of Saint-Just -- He advocates Terrorism -- His attack on Dantonists -- Action of Cordeliers -- Arrest of Hébertist leaders -- Further arrests of Chaumette, Pache, Clootz and Leclerc -- Success of the Government -- Execution of Hébertists and others -- Royalist rejoicing -- End of struggle between committees and Commune -- Committees arrest Danton, Desmoulins, Phélippeaux and Lacroix -- They are executed -- Effect of executions on Paris -- End of Revolution in sight The winter thus passed in veiled struggles between the revolutionists and the counter-revolutionists, who every day lifted their heads higher and more boldly. In the beginning of February, Robespierre made himself the mouthpiece of a movement against certain commissioners, of the C... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

The Convention--The Commune--The Jacobins
Convention formed -- Its composition -- Girondins -- Mountain -- Plain or Marsh -- Activity of sections since their formation -- Revolutionary Commune -- Jacobin Club and -- Mountain -- Jacobins support "Mountain," but oppose Girondins On September 21, 1792, the Convention, that Assembly which has been so often represented as the true type, the ideal of a revolutionary Assembly, was at last opened. The elections had been made by all the citizens, both active and passive, but still in two degrees, which means that all the citizens had first elected the electoral assemblies, and these had nominated the deputies to the Convention. Such a mode of election was clearly in favor of the wealthy; but as the elections took place in September, in the ... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

Causes of the Rising on May 31
Struggle between "Mountain" and "Gironde" -- Momentous questions -- Inactivity of Convention -- Montagnards -- Robespierre -- Counter-revolution gains ground -- Directories of departments and districts -- New Commune -- Growth of Popular Societies, Fraternal Societies and Revolutionary Committees -- Federalism -- Centralization -- Gironde and "Mountain" During the early part of 1793, the struggle between the "Mountain " and the " Gironde " grew daily more envenomed according as these three great questions presented themselves to France. First: Were all the feudal dues to be abolished without redemption, or were these survivals of feudalism to continue to starve the farmer and paralyze agriculture? This was the burning question which meant s... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

The Peasant Rising
Peasants begin to rise -- Causes of risings -- Châteaux destroyed -- Rising in Alsace -- Franche -- Comté -- Castres -- Auvergne Characteristics of rising -- Middle classes and their fears Picardy revolts -- Terror throughout France -- National Assembly meets Ever since the winter of 1788, and especially since March 1789, the people, as we have said, no longer paid rent to the lords. That in this they were encouraged by the revolutionaries of the middle classes is undoubtedly true; there were many persons among the middle classes of 1789 who understood that without a popular rising they would never have the upper hand over the absolute power of the King. It is clear, also, that the discussions in the Assembly of the Notables, w... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

The Suppression of the Sections
Position of sections -- "Popular societies" -- Opposition of Jacobins -- Attitude of Robespierre -- Sections gradually deprived of their powers -- Control of police -- Revolutionary committees subordinated to Committee of Public Safety -- State absorbs sections -- Revolution doomed Towards the end of 1793, two rival powers stood facing one another: the two committees--of Public Welfare and of Public Safety--which governed the Convention, and the Commune of Paris. Yet the real strength of the Commune lay neither in its extremely popular mayor Pache, nor in its equally popular procureur Chaumette, nor yet in his deputy Hébert, nor in its General Council. It was to be found in the sections. And therefore the central government was stead... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

The Rising of the Country Districts during the Opening Months of 1789
Heroism of middle classes at beginning of Revolution over rated -- Abolition of serfdom -- Statute labor and other impositions upon peasants -- Failure of crops in 1778 -- Riots follow -- Nature of riots -- "Vive la Liberté!" -- Riots at Agde -- Concessions granted to people -- Effect of riots on elections -- Agitation in rural districts -- Importance of peasant insurrection Nothing could be more erroneous than to imagine or describe France as a nation of heroes on the eve of 1789, and Quinet was perfectly right in destroying this legend, which some historians had tried to propagate. It is evident that if we were to collect into a few pages the occasional instances, very rare after all, of open resistance to the old régime on ... (From : Anarchy Archives.)