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 Legislative Assembly--Reaction in 1791-1792
King and Assembly -- Fear of foreign invasion -- Feuillants and Girondins -- Count d'Artois and Count de Provence -- Emigration of nobles -- Assembly summon Count de Provence and émirgrés to return -- Declaration of war against Austria -- Fall of royalist Ministry -- Girondins in power -- Was war necessary? -- Equalization of wealth -- Socialistic ideas of people -- Mayor of Etampes killed by peasants -- Robespierre and agrarian law -- Middle classes rally round royalty -- Royalist coup d'etat imminent -- Lafayette's letter to Assembly The new National Assembly, elected by active citizens only, which took the name of National Legislative Assembly, met October 1, 1791, and from the first moment, the King, encouraged by the mani... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

Education--The Metric-System-The New Calendar--Anti-Religious Movement
Education -- Three-grade system -- Metric system -- Its importance -- The Republican calendar -- Its connection with Church -- Severe laws against priests -- First attempts at "dechristianization" -- Encouraged by Convention -- Bishop Gobel's renunciation -- Enthusiasm of Assembly -- Movement spreads -- File of Liberty and Reason -- Opposition of Robespierre -- Conduct of Danton -- Robespierre and Danton -- Triumph of Catholicism -- Féte of the Supreme Being -- Prelude to 9th Thermidor Amid all these struggles, the revolutionists did not lose sight of the great question of national education. They tried to lay its foundations on principles of equality. An enormous amount of work was actually done in this direction, as may be seen by ... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

The Constitution--The Revolutionary Movement
Committee formed to frame new Constitution -- Plans of Girondins -- Struggle between Girondins and Montagnards -- Girondins try to strengthen power of Directoires -- Girondist scheme rejected -- Constitution of Montagnards -- It is accepted by Convention -- Dictatorship of Committees of Public Welfare and Public Safety It has been necessary to narrate at some length the counterrevolutionary risings in France and the varied events of the frontier wars before returning to the legislative activity of the Convention and the events which subsequently unfolded themselves in Paris. Without some knowledge of the former, the latter would be incomprehensible. The truth is, the war dominated everything; it was absorbing the best forces of the nation, ... (From : Anarchy Archives.)

The Counter-Revolution in the South of France
Condition of provinces -- Coblentz center of royalist plots -- Counter-revolutionary federation -- Loyalist activity -- Royalists receive money from Pitt, and help from other Powers -- Risings and counter-risings in provinces When studying the Great Revolution, one is so much attracted the magnitude of the struggles which unfolded themselves in Paris, that one is tempted to neglect the condition of the provinces, and to overlook the power which the counter-revolution possessed there all the time. This power, however, was enormous. The counter-revolution had for it the support of the past centuries, and the interests of the present; and it is necessary to study it in order to understand how small is the power of a representative assembly dur... (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.)