Government By Terror 1793-4 Flashcards
What were the two periods of terror?
- First began with the Attack on the Tuileries 10th August 1792 and ended with the Battle of Valmy
- Second started 31st May and ended in June 1794
Who was the leader of the plain?
Barere
What did Barere say the convention should recognise?
In emergency, the government can’t rule by usual methods
The bourgeois shouldn’t isolate itself from the people, whose demands it should meet
Necessary measures should be introduced to ensure the survival of the revolution
What 3 objectives did the measures of 10th March to 20th May 1793 aim to achieve?
- identify, observe and punish suspects
- make government more effective and ensure its orders are carried out
- meet some economic demands of the sans-culottes
When was the Revolutionary Tribunal set up and what was its purpose?
10th March 1793 to try counter revolutionary suspects
What were representatives on mission?
Mainly jacobin deputies from the convention sent to various parts of France to reassert government authority
What did the Summary Execution decree allow?
Trial and execution of armed rebels within 24 hours without a
jury or appeal.
19th March 1793
When was the CPS set up and what was its function?
6th April 1793
Supervise activities of ministers whose authority it superseded
What was the makeup of the first CPS?
7 of 9 members, including Barere from the Plain
2 Montagnards, of whom Danton was one
What did the CPS pass on the 4th May
A maximum on grain prices
What happened on the 2nd June 1793?
80000 national guardsmen surrounded the Convention and demanded the Girondins be removed. 29 Girondin deputies and 2 ministers arrested
Who killed Marat
Charlotte Corday
Why were Girondins expelled from the Convention?
On suspicion of supporting revolts backed by royalists, aimed at destroying the republic
What is federalism
A rejection of the central authority of the state in favour of regional authority
What 3 areas rejected the authority of the convention in June 1793
Marseille, Lyon and Toulon
During the federal revolt of 1793, how many departments were affected?
60 out of 83
Why did the federal revolt 1793 never pose s serious threat to the government?
They were unable to rally a huge number of troops which allowed them to be picked off easily. 3500 in Marseille, 400 in Lyon
Why was Toulon the most serious revolt?
To avoid starvation, as the government had blocked off food supplies, they negotiated with the British, whose soldiers arrived on 28th August 1793
When was the new CPS formed and what was its makeup?
Between July and September 1793, 12 members all Montagnards
Who was the head of the new CPS.
No one, they were all equally responsible for the actions of the committee
When did Robepierre join the CPS and why?
27th July 1793, to form a link between the middle-class jacobins and the sans-culottes
What was Robespierres nickname and why?
Incorruptible
He didn’t seek power or wealth for himself and put the good of the country ahead of all other considerations
What were the main characteristics of the sans-culottes? [4]
Hated the aristocracy
Wore red caps to signal equality
Passionate anticlericals
Believed in direct democracy
How many members of the revolutionary committees were there in 1793-4
454
What concessions did the CPS make to the sans-culottes? [3]
New constitution of 24th June 1793 went further than old one
To fight the war effectively, the sections demanded conscription
Economic concessions, making hoarding of grain a capital crime
When was the levee en masses decreed and what did it mark?
23rd August 1793, the appearance of total war
What kind of men were conscripted and how many were there?
Half a million unmarried men between 18 and 25
Give some other features of the levee en masse? [2]
State factories set up to make arms and ammunition
Church bells melted down for cannon
Who were the enrages and what did they demand?
A group led by Jacques Roux who wanted the Convention to deal immediately with the starvation and poverty of ordinary people
Why did Robespierre dislike Roux?
He was threatening the Commune and Convention with direct action of the streets