To what extent was robespierre the driving force of the great Terror?

Question 1

NO and yes simple

Answer 1

1) Religious radicalism and reforms ( dechristianisation )
2) Terror in the vendee
3) Purge of Hebertists and indulgent
4) Robespierre and saint just defend terror
5) Great terror
- increasing centralisation
- Legislations of Great terror

Question 2

What was the driving force of terror

Answer 2

1) war
2) fear of counter revolution
3) Political ambition/ ideology
4) Economic Issues

Question 3

De-Christianisation

Answer 3

Wave of religious terror 1793-4 = driven by sans-culottes, armées revolutionnaries and reps on a mission (encouraged by Herbertists)

Question 4

who felt that Catholicism betrayed the revolution

De-Christianisation

Answer 4

Sans culottes in the patis commune, revolutionary armies and the representatives on mission.

Question 5

what did the church connect to according to the those who wanted to destroy it?

(De-Christianisation)

Answer 5

churches was a symbol of the revolutionaries ‘determination to destroy everything connected t the acien regime

Question 6

simply give 3 forms of the various attacks on the church

De-Christianisation

Answer 6

• Churches closed
• Church bells and silver was removed
• roadside shrines and crosses were destroyed

Question 7

May 1793

De-Christianisation

Answer 7

• All churches told to close and paris commune stopped paying clerical salaries

Question 8

What happened by the end of the srping 1794?

De-Christianisation

Answer 8

Most of the country’s churches had been closed.

Question 9

What were priests forced to do

De-Christianisation

Answer 9

Renounce their priesthood and many compelled to marry

Question 10

percentage of priests gave up their calling

De-Christianisation

Answer 10

10% of all constitutional priestas

Question 11

Oct 5 1793 a new what introduced and what did it ignore

De-Christianisation

Answer 11

revolutionary calendar. Dated from 22 sep 1793 to 21 sep 1793 became year 1.

Ignored sundays and festivals of the church.

Question 12

Festival of reason?

Answer 12

nov 1793 herbert org festival of reason by removing Christian symbols and replacing them with symbols of the rev

Question 13

who was a strong critic of the de-Christianisation? so what did he do instead?

Answer 13

Robespierre saw the religious radical as immorality and mob rule pretending to pass itself f as a revolutionary philosophy.

He attempted to create a new religionn , cult of supreme being. All other religion were banne. New religion, robespierre planned a major festival

Question 14

what was the efttect of the Supreme being cult?

Answer 14

To athiest and san culotte sthe cult was an abomination. to catholics was further attach on their religion. ( made illegal this was so far from the declaration of the rights of man in 1789)
It lacked system or belief, state imposed

It only added to that fact that robespirre became a power crazed dictator. Robespierre personally led and put himslef in they centre of the stage not about god but more about Robespierre

Question 15

What is arguably the greatest humanitarian crime of the radical phases of the revolution?`
(Terror in the Vendee)

Answer 15

suppression of the vendee

Question 16

How many did the vendee army consist of? how many were killed
(Terror in the Vendee)

Answer 16

65,000 larger than fed revolt.
gov victory came at le Mans on 12 december, 15,000 Vendean rebels killed.

through famine, disease and murder and execution almort quarter of million ppl died

Question 17

What happened after the supression of the vendee, the survivors?
(Terror in the Vendee)

Answer 17

haunted down and punish them.
Soldiers sent across to burn villages, destroy crops and kill anyone who tried to prevent them.
Carrier authorised mass murder. ‘suspects’ including 90 priests, tied up and placed on boats/1

Question 18

How far was rob responsible?

Terror in the Vendee

Answer 18

even though it was not upon the order of the convention or committee. They were still aware of the massacres as direct reports were made back to the convention. Rob did call carrier back to Paris on Feb to answer for the atrocities, but no action was taken.

Question 19

What faction called for an end to the Terror in 1794?

Answer 19

The Indulgents

Question 20

Which factions did Robespierre purge in February 1794 in order to secure Jacobin political dominance?

Answer 20

Hérbertists and Indulgents

Question 21

what did Herbert encourage?

Answer 21

insurrection

Question 22

Drama between Herbert and rob and saint just?

Answer 22

the committe fearing for their own poasitrion, denounced the Hebertists, their encouragemtn of popular unrest and their support for de-christianisation. In response, Herbrtisst accused rob of defying the will of the ppl.

Question 23

What did the committe of public saferty do cause it couldnt accept a challenge to its authority?

Answer 23

march 1794, order the Tribunal to prepare a case against Hebert and 18 of allies. There wasnt evidence but for committee they didnt give a fuck they continued the trial jury found them guilty. Herbwetists sent to guillotine.

Question 24

When Hebertists desposed the committe did what?

Answer 24

closing all non jacobin political clubs, disband the persian armee rev and purging the eparis commune (premitted under the the law of Frimaire) replacing with the officals Robespierre’s supporters

Question 25

Which former schoolmates and former allies in late 1793 and early 1794 of Rob accused him of a dictatorship? and what are their followers referred as?

Answer 25

Danton and Desmoulin - Indulgents (meaning more lenient or merciful - they given this label cause they called for the end of the terror)

Question 26

why calls for de-escalation in terror make good sense considering the situation 1794?

Answer 26

by 1794 the federalist revolts been suppressed, Vendean army been defeated and french fortunes against foreign forces had been improved. With france in a less vulnerable position than it had been in summer 1793 = arguments for the necessity of terror appeared somewhat weaker.

Question 27

what did Desmoulins’ newspaper call for? and what it was consequences?

Answer 27

Desmoulins’ newspaper called for the release of 200,000 prisoners 7th January 1794, Robespierre calls for the expulsion of Desmoulins from the Jacobin = : Danton, Desmoulins and others guillotined 5th April 1794

Question 28

was it popular among the citizens of France the guillotine of danton?

Answer 28

nope . Danton used his tial as a platform to denounce rob = he was applauded and cheered from public galleries. To counter this, Saint just convinced the convention that the prisooners were in revolt agaist the court and so they denied the right to speak in their defence.

Question 29

What is the significance of the purge of Hebertists and the indulgents?

Answer 29

Robespierre showed extent of beliefs by killing friend, Danton and and stop @ nothing for political control- caused opposition and fear of committee who killed 2 big figures of rev- oppose robespierre. as many didnt see danton as enemy of the rev. = contributed to the fall of Rob

Question 30

Robespierre and Saint-Juste defend terror

Answer 30

rob provided the terror with its idological justification. To create utopian society. he believed in the general will, long term good of society was more important than they short-term position of the individual. Believed in ‘virtue’- thought terror necessary for this Saint Juste also involved, he lead idea of Louis execution and advocated terror in speeches. Terror means to an end.

Question 31

The Great Terror- when General Police Bureau created in Paris? how was centralisation Increased

Answer 31

March 1794 - tasked with respobsiblityof gathring intelligence to unearth more enemmies of the rev. the police of Bureau gave rob a powerful weapon = denounce and arrest opponenets. Paris commune , dominated by Hebert and his supporters, filled with those royal to rob and the committee. Cordeliers club closed down and rep on mission were recalled to paris. Law of Frimaire already increased central control over French provinces and march 1794 law passed that gave parision tribunal exclusive jurisdiction over counter-rev trials = Provincial revolutionary tribunal shut down.

Question 32

-Legislation of the Great Terror

Answer 32

assassination attempts Rob. became more paranoid, seeing conspiracies everywhere. Robespierre drafted Law of 22 Prairial(law of great terror) NEW ERA TERROR - no defence @ trial and jury could convict not based on evidence but own judgement or character/morals. By june/july 1794, 50% more sent to guillotine than last 14 months together.

Question 33

CONCLUSION- Robespierre was spokesperson and speeches were passionate and convincing. He genuinely believed terror was the only way to utopia. His ideological thrust was dangerous. But he criticised de christianization and violence, but of course oversaw this. Also blame SC, rev armies, revenge in vendee blsmed on Rep-E-M than gov. CPS created terror, saint-juste, couthon pushed