As promised….

The Reign of

Terror

• By 1792, the divisions between the Girondists, the Jacobins, and the sans-culottes had not been fixed

• But they could at least all agree that France was in danger of being invaded by one or several European powers

• In the spring of 1792, France declared war on Austria, but it doesn’t go very well for France at the beginning

Valmy, September 1792

• In August 1792, Louis was arrested for conspiring against France

• In September 1792 France is declared a republic

• The monarchy is abolished (Louis XVI is stripped of all title)

• After a short trial in January 1793, the former King Louis XVI, now called “Citizen Louis Capet,” is executed

• Marie Antoinette is executed in October 1793

• But the guillotine has not taken the life of its last victim…

The Reign of

Terror continues…

The King is dead! Now what?

• The power struggle between the Girondists, the Jacobins, and the Sans-Culottes really heats up

Marat’s proposal?

But not everyone approves...

• Charlotte Corday, a Girondist who despised Marat’s calls for death and more violence

13 July 1793

Jean-Paul Marat is murdered by Charlotte Corday, a Girondist

A martyr?

• But the violence of the Jacobins silences the Girondists’ calls for peace. Girondist leaders are rounded up and executed.

• A group of 12 men, called the Committee of Public Safety (COPS) ruled France and ruthlessly sought out and executed “enemies of the revolution”

• Criticism of the revolution was absolutely not tolerated and punishable by death

• Tens of thousands of people are killed throughout France

What happened to “rights?”

Robespierre rules as a dictator

• Danton becomes the new voice of moderation. The terror has gone too far, he argues.

• For his beliefs, Danton is deemed an enemy of the revolution and is executed in April 1794.

"Don't forget to show my head to the people. It's well worth seeing."

Will the terror ever end?