Why did the Terror emerge?

Question 1

Factors

Answer 1

Economics

Internal revolts

Desire for virtuous republic

War

Question 2

Economic reasons?

Answer 2

SC took power into own hands because of the economics - assigants and soap prices by Aug 1793
Led to anger re suspected hoarders…rev armies went to countryside (56 unofficial also created): responsible for Nante drowning
Genreal Max accentuated rural-urban divide and annoyed both
Economic justified maintainence of terror- Law of Prarils= those who opposed provisioning Paris were ‘enemies’

Question 3

Why was war more important than economy?

Answer 3

Economy improved but terror worsened- by dec 1793 assignat had rose to 48% BUT still 200,000 called suspects
Economic problems only arised due to war: France lost imports from the Windies due to Br blockade (eg sugar goods therefore low)
Money and provisions sent to warfront.. explains s-c frustration

Question 4

Internal revolt reasons?

Answer 4

Vendee dominanted loss of life during Terror (Jan-May= 20-50k Vendeans died)
Heightened paranoia of internal enemies…law of Suspects

Question 5

Why was war more important than internal revolt?

Answer 5

March 1793conscription (300k quota) caused Vendee- they retailliated by 80k strong Catholic and Royal army 
War contributed to Toulon: Br presence; reprisals= 1802 because Convention members worried others might follow suit
War heightened fear of federal revolts- Convention felt it was necessary to use Terror more agressively eg in Rhone Valley and Provence

Question 6

Desire for virtuous republic?

Answer 6

Feb 1794- R’s speech to convention lauds ‘virtue’; he believes terror is needed to achieve this state
He believed in the ‘revolution of mankind’ and that terror would purge counterrevolutionaries and regenerate those within

Question 7

Not desire for virtuous republic?

Answer 7

Early 1794 these ideas emerged - doesnt explain early terror…perhaps justification for terror not a cause
Robespierre and Saint Just = the only ones proposing that ideology…a great deal of the Terror was perpeutated by the unknowing SC
Ideology divided people and arguably set the end of terror in place

Question 8

War causing the terror?

Answer 8

With Europe vs France - deep rooted paranoia re counterrevolutionaries trying to dismantle terror
Fear heightened following Dumouriez’s dejection to the Austrians at Neerwinden (Girondin)- implied anyone could be working for the enemy; contributed to the removal of the Girondins (moderates who could have restrained the terror)
New Const of 93 delayed until peace- course of terror justified by war therefore
Terror continued as war situation got better- France wanted terror to go on as its causally linked to the war’s success (if war going well, terror must go on for continued success/ if war going badly, terror must go on to seek those causing failure)
Herbertists killed in March 1794- accused of being foreign agents
Law of Praril = those who had betrayed armies