0:00

For a 10-month period from September 1793

0:02

to July 1794, the nation of

0:04

France went through a period which

0:06

could only be called insanity. In

0:08

the aftermath of the French Revolution, a

0:11

small group of radicals took

0:13

control of the Revolutionary French

0:15

government and began eliminating all

0:17

enemies of the revolution, both

0:19

real and perceived. Tens of thousands

0:21

of people were in prison, and

0:23

thousands met their end with what

0:26

the French called Madame Legelotine. Learn

0:28

more about The

0:30

French Revolution's reign

0:32

of terror, why

0:34

it started and how

0:37

it ended, on

0:39

this episode of

0:41

Everything Everywhere Daily.

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time, and they were each rebellions

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against monarchy. However, the similarities between

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the two don't go too much

3:06

further than that. The French Revolution

3:09

wasn't just a political revolution. It

3:11

was also a cultural revolution. They

3:13

didn't just want to get rid

3:16

of the king, but some more

3:18

radical revolutionaries wanted to change everything

3:20

about French society. In previous episodes,

3:23

I covered some of these extreme

3:25

changes. They included... totally changing the

3:27

calendar from the Gregorian calendar we

3:30

use today to a brand new

3:32

calendar with new months, days, weeks,

3:34

and years. They also tried to

3:37

get rid of not just the

3:39

Catholic Church, but Christianity entirely, and

3:41

replace it with a cult of

3:44

reason or a cult of the

3:46

supreme being. As radical as these

3:48

changes were, they were not the

3:51

peak of extremism during the revolution.

3:53

That would be a 10-month period

3:55

known as the reign of terror.

3:58

a time when even the most

4:00

ardent revolutionaries weren't safe. To briefly

4:02

summarize, the French Revolution began in

4:05

1789 as a response to widespread

4:07

social inequality, an economic crisis, and

4:09

the absolute monarchy of King Louis

4:12

XVI. The Estates General, a legislative

4:14

assembly, convened in May of 1789,

4:16

leading to the formation of the

4:19

National Assembly and the storming of

4:21

the best deal in July where

4:24

many political prisoners were held. Over

4:26

the next few years, the monarchy

4:28

was gradually stripped of power, culminating

4:31

in the King's arrest and the

4:33

declaration of the first French Republic

4:35

in 1792. In the aftermath of

4:38

the 1792 insurrection, the top of

4:40

the monarchy, France faced mounting crises

4:42

on multiple fronts. The newly established

4:45

National Convention, which was elected by

4:47

universal male suffrage, was deeply divided

4:49

between two groups, the Durandons and

4:52

the Montignards, also known as the

4:54

Mountain in English. The Girandons represented

4:56

provincial moderate republicanism, whereas the mountain,

4:59

led by figures like Maximilian Robespierre,

5:01

Georges-Dantan, and Jean-Paul-Mirat, advocated more radical

5:03

measures and enjoyed the support from

5:06

the Parisian Saint-Colats, who were the

5:08

more radical, lower-class people of Paris.

5:10

Foreign armies threatened France's borders after

5:13

the declaration of war against Austria

5:15

in April of 1792, and later

5:17

expanded to include Prussia, Great Britain,

5:20

Spain, Spain, Spain, and other powers.

5:22

By early 1793, France faced a

5:24

coalition of European monarchies determined to

5:27

crush the revolution. In addition, France

5:29

suffered economic problems, including rising food

5:31

prices, currency depreciation, and shortages of

5:34

basic necessities, which fueled popular unrest,

5:36

particularly amongst the urban poor. Counter-revolutionary

5:38

activity increase, particularly in the Vandi

5:41

region on the Atlantic coast. In

5:43

March of 1793 a major rebellion

5:45

erupted and then other uprisings followed

5:48

in major cities like Leon, Marseilles,

5:50

and Bordeaux. The political atmosphere grew

5:52

increasingly radical and paranoid with each

5:55

side accusing the other of betraying

5:57

the revolution. The Girondins accused the

5:59

mountain of harboring dictatorial ambitions, while

6:02

the mountain chart... the Girandons with

6:04

being soft on counter-revolution and insufficiently

6:06

committed to defending the Republic. As

6:09

the military and economic crises deepened,

6:11

the National Convention recognized the need

6:13

for a more centralized executive authority.

6:16

The Convention established the first Committee

6:18

of Public Safety on April 6,

6:20

1793. Initially, it consisted of nine

6:23

members who were tasked with supervising

6:25

ministers and taking emergency measures to

6:27

defend the Republic. George Dantan became

6:30

its most influential early member. The

6:32

first committee was relatively moderate, but

6:34

after military setbacks and the outbreak

6:37

of federalist revolts, it was reconstituted

6:39

on July 10th. Maximilian Robes Pierre

6:41

joined the committee on July 27th

6:44

and gradually became its dominant figure.

6:46

The committee's power expanded incrementally, initially

6:48

formed as a temporary expedient for

6:51

crisis management, it evolved into the

6:53

revolution's central governing body with authority

6:55

over military affairs, foreign policy, economic

6:58

measures, and internal security. While power

7:00

was becoming centralized in the Committee

7:02

of Public Safety, things were breaking

7:05

down between the Girondins and the

7:07

Mountain. Political tensions between the factions

7:09

intensified in early 1793. The Drondins

7:12

attempted to prosecute Jean-Paul Morat, a

7:14

radical journalist and mountain deputy, but

7:16

is acquittal by the Revolutionary Tribunal

7:19

on April 24th, represented a major

7:21

political defeat for them. The economic

7:23

situation worsened, with food shortages and

7:26

inflation fueling popular anger. The Girandons

7:28

opposed the price controls demanded by

7:30

the Parisian Sankulats, further alienating them

7:33

from this powerful political force. On

7:35

May 31st, armed Parisians surrounded the

7:37

convention, demanding the arrest of 22

7:40

Girondon deputies and two ministers. The

7:42

convention initially resisted, but on June

7:44

2nd, a larger insurrectionary force of

7:47

up to 80,000 national guardsmen surrounded

7:49

the assembly. Under this pressure, the

7:52

Convention voted to arrest 29 Gerondon

7:54

deputies and two ministers. Some managed

7:56

to escape Paris and fled to

7:59

prevention. cities, but most of them

8:01

were arrested. Many of the arrested

8:03

Girondins were later tried and

8:05

guillotine in October of 1793.

8:07

Their execution removed the main

8:09

moderate opposition within the government

8:11

and solidified mountain control of

8:14

the Convention and the entire

8:16

revolution. With the Girondins removed

8:18

and the Committee of Public

8:20

Safety empowered, several developments accelerated

8:23

the move toward systematic terror.

8:25

The Federalist revolts in cities

8:28

like Leon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, and

8:30

Khan, encouraged by the escaped

8:32

Gerondon deputies, were portrayed as

8:35

treasonous conspiracies rather than political

8:37

opposition, justifying extreme measures. The

8:39

assassination of Jean-Paul Morat by

8:42

Charlotte Corday, a Gerondon sympathizer

8:44

on July 13th, inflamed radical

8:46

sentiment, and strengthened calls for

8:49

vengeance against enemies of the people.

8:51

The law of suspects passed

8:53

on September 17th. vastly expanded

8:55

the categories of people who

8:57

could be arrested for counter-revolutionary

8:59

activities or sentiments. The Revolutionary

9:01

Tribunal in Paris was reorganized

9:04

to expedite trials and similar

9:06

tribunals were established in

9:08

provincial cities. The creation of

9:10

the Committee of General Security,

9:12

working alongside the Committee of

9:14

Public Safety, provided the administrative

9:16

machinery to implement surveillance and arrests.

9:19

By the fall of 1793, all of these factors

9:21

The centralized power of the committees

9:23

of general security and public safety, the

9:25

law of suspects, and the lack of

9:28

gyrand and moderation, created the basis for

9:30

the reign of terror. Under Robes-Pierre

9:32

in the Committee of Public Safety,

9:34

the machinery of state repression expanded

9:37

dramatically. The revolutionary tribunal

9:39

in Paris accelerated its operations,

9:41

often conducting perfunctory trials followed

9:44

by swift executions. Similar tribunals

9:46

function in major cities across

9:49

France. The violence took different

9:51

forms in different regions. In Paris, the

9:53

guillotine became the symbol of revolutionary

9:55

justice with public executions in what

9:57

is now the Place de la Concord.

10:00

In provincial areas facing rebellion, the

10:02

repression was even more severe, mass

10:04

drownings and naught, mass shootings in

10:06

Leon and brutal suppression of the

10:09

Vendy uprising. The scope of people

10:11

targeted began to grow. The former

10:13

Queen Marie Antoinette was guillotined in

10:16

October of 1793, as were other

10:18

leading gerondens. Prominent revolutionaries deemed too

10:20

radical, such as Jacques René Iber

10:23

and his followers, were executed in

10:25

March 1794. Revolutionary is considered too

10:27

moderate, including George Dantan, were executed

10:30

in April 1794. In addition, thousands

10:32

of ordinary citizens were denounced by

10:34

neighbors or local authorities, often for

10:37

petty or personal reasons. The terror

10:39

was accompanied by radical social and

10:41

cultural policies, which I previously mentioned,

10:44

including the decristianization campaigns, the adoption

10:46

of a new revolutionary calendar, price

10:48

controls, and attempts to create a

10:51

new civic festival, and a republic

10:53

of virtue. By the summer of

10:55

1794, despite French military victories reducing

10:58

external threats to the country, Robes-Pier

11:00

pushed for intensified revolutionary purity through

11:02

measures like the law of 22

11:05

prairiale, which removed legal protections for

11:07

the accused and accelerated further executions.

11:09

In total, approximately 16-17,000 people were

11:12

officially executed during the reign of

11:14

terror, with tens of thousands more

11:16

dying in prison or in the

11:19

suppression of rebellions. Rob Pierre, however,

11:21

had gone too far. With the

11:23

law of 22 Prairie Al, everyone

11:26

was worried about their safety. On

11:28

June 8th, 1794, Robes Pierre had

11:30

presided over the Festival of the

11:33

Supreme Being, a civic celebration that

11:35

he had personally championed as part

11:37

of his effort to establish a

11:40

new civic religion. While Rob Pierre

11:42

viewed this as the culmination of

11:44

revolutionary virtue, many people saw it

11:47

as evidence of his dictatorial ambitions

11:49

and messianic self-self image. Ropes returned

11:51

to the convention on July 26th

11:54

and delivered a lengthy rambling speech.

11:56

He spoke of conspiracies against the

11:58

Republic and hinted at the need

12:00

for another purge of treasonous elements,

12:03

but crucially failed to name any

12:05

specific targets. This vagueness caused panic

12:07

amongst the deputies, many of whom

12:10

feared that they might be on

12:12

Robespierre's list. With everyone now potentially

12:14

at risk, self-preservation drove many to

12:17

conspire against him. That night various

12:19

factions in the convention. including more

12:21

moderate allies of Dantan, remaining radical

12:24

followers of Ebert, and even some

12:26

of Robespierre's colleagues on the Committee

12:28

of Public Safety, met to coordinate

12:31

their actions for the next day.

12:33

The conspirators included those who had

12:35

themselves been enthusiastic supporters of the

12:38

terror, but now feared for their

12:40

own lives. The next day, July

12:42

27th, Robespierre attempted to speak again

12:45

at the convention, but was shouted

12:47

down with cries of down-with-the tyrant.

12:49

When Louis Saint-Just, one of Robespierre's

12:52

closest allies began to speak, Jean-Lambert

12:54

Talian interrupted him and denounced Robespierre.

12:56

The president of the convention, who

12:59

had once been Robespierre's ally, gave

13:01

the floor to Robespierre's enemies. They

13:03

accused him of plotting to murder

13:06

the entire convention. After hours of

13:08

chaotic debate, the convention voted for

13:10

the arrest of Robespierre, his younger

13:13

brother, Sanjust, and the mayor of

13:15

Paris. Initially, the coup appeared to

13:17

fail. When officers of the convention

13:20

attempted to arrest Robespierre and the

13:22

others, the Paris Commune, aka the

13:24

city government, refused to accept the

13:27

arrest. The prisoners were taken to

13:29

various government buildings rather than prisons.

13:31

The Commune, still loyal to Robespierre,

13:34

called out the National Guard and

13:36

prepared to march on the convention

13:38

to free him. For a few

13:41

hours that night, the outcome hung

13:43

in the balance. Had the commune

13:45

acted decisively, it may have repeated

13:48

the past when armed Parisians had

13:50

effectively intimidated the national legislature. However,

13:52

the convention declared the commune and

13:55

Robespierre supporters to be. outlaws, a

13:57

status that meant that they could

13:59

be executed without trial upon identification.

14:01

As rains fell over Paris that

14:04

night, much of the National Guard

14:06

that was summoned by the commune

14:08

drifted away. The decisive moment came

14:11

when the convention forces arrived at

14:13

the Hotel de Ville where Robespierre

14:15

and his supporters had gathered. Finding

14:18

the building nearly undefended, they easily

14:20

took control. In the confusion, Robespierre

14:22

suffered a shattered jaw from a

14:25

gunshot. Whether this was a suicide

14:27

attempt or inflicted by one of

14:29

his captors remains debated by historians

14:32

His brother Augustine attempted to escape

14:34

by jumping out of a window,

14:36

but broke his legs others were

14:39

captured without resistance on July 28th

14:41

Robes Pierre and 21 of his

14:43

closest associates were guillotined without trial

14:46

having been declared outlaws Despite his

14:48

terrible jaw wound Robes Pierre was

14:50

executed last amongst his group When

14:53

the executioner tore off the bandage

14:55

on his jaw before placing him

14:57

under the blade, Robes Pierre reportedly

15:00

let out a terrible scream. His

15:02

only sound that entire day. The

15:04

day after, 71 members of the

15:07

Paris Commune followed them to the

15:09

guillotine, and within a following week,

15:11

another 12 were executed as Robes

15:14

Pierre. The fall of Robes Pierre

15:16

marked the end of the reign

15:18

of the reign of terror. The

15:21

period that followed, known as the

15:23

Thermidorian reaction, saw the release of

15:25

many prisoners, the expulsion of radicals

15:28

from the convention, and a general

15:30

relaxation of the revolutionary fervor. Power

15:32

shifted to the more conservative property

15:35

owning classes, and a new constitution

15:37

established the directory government in 1795.

15:39

The dramatic events of July 1794

15:42

demonstrated how quickly revolutionary politics could

15:44

shift. Rose Pierre, who had been

15:46

virtually untouchable as the embodiment of

15:49

revolutionary virtue, fell in just three

15:51

days, brought down by fear political

15:53

factions, and his own unwillingness to

15:55

compromise. His fall marked not just

15:58

the end of the terror. but

16:00

a fundamental recalibration of the entire

16:02

French Revolution itself, away from radical

16:05

virtue towards pragmatic stability, setting the

16:07

eventual stage for the rise of

16:09

Napoleon Bonaparte. The executive producer of

16:12

Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel.

16:14

The associate producers are Austin Oaken

16:16

and Cameron Kiefer. Today's review comes

16:19

from listener Real Mao Man over

16:21

on Apple Podcast in the United

16:23

States. They write, Wonderful Podcast. I've

16:26

been enjoying your podcast every single

16:28

day for a while. It's a

16:30

valuable contribution to my daily sapien

16:33

elucidation and domestication project that I

16:35

call my life. Thanks, Mauman. With

16:37

the utmost profundity of gratitude and

16:40

an effusive appreciation that transcends the

16:42

bounds of ordinary expression, I extend

16:44

my sincerest and most magniloquent thanks

16:47

for your gracious and benevolent indulgence

16:49

in lending your auditory faculties to

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the humble sonic endeavor that is

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my podcast. Your attentive presence amidst

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the sonorous tapestry of my verbal

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meanderings is both an ineffable honor

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