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Reign Of Terror Essay

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The Reign of Terror was a period during the French Revolution where France’s people went through brutal oppression. The historical interpretation concerning the cause of the Reign of Terror has been heavily debated by historians. The writers of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Jack R. Censer and Lynn Hunt, state that the two largest debated causes were foreign war and internal counterrevolution versus the impact of the French Revolution’s ideology. The Law of Suspects, The Law of 22 Prairial, and The Debate on the Law of 22 Prairial documents better support the idea that the impact of revolutionary ideology, which includes democracy, liberty, authority, and Enlightenment ideals, caused the Reign of Terror. France’s democracy was a system of government whose control was given to elected members, most who supported the principles of social equality (among white men). Before the revolution, the monarchy had created social inequality as the people of France were ranked by their family name and/or profession. When the Republic was formed, the nobles and clergies of the first and second Estates were told to give up …show more content…

Democracy supported the idea of no titles and ranks, and with that many nobles fled the country and were immediately marked as a suspect. Liberty gave France’s people the freedom to take the law into their own hands and promote terror on the streets. Authority gave the French people power in the courtroom, and the ability to sentencing people to death. The Enlightenment Age also influenced the Reign of Terror with its beliefs in separation of church and state. The causation of the Reign of Terror was never one event or idea, but many, most of which were linked to the French Revolution’s

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