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Was the Reign of Terror justified? I think no. Almost 35,000 people were unnecessarily killed by officials. The Reign of Terror was from the beheading of Louis XVI in January 1793 to July 1794. During that time, about 20,000 people were killed by the guillotine.
The Reign of Terror lasted a year over the span of 1793 to 1794. Throughout this year, many people died because the National Assembly deemed it necessary in order to control the people in which they governed. If one were not following the ideals of the revolution, they were killed. Was the Reign of Terror justified? The Reign of Terror was not justified through the external and internal threats the people faced, the unreasonable methods of terror, and the ideals that the revolution followed.
Government response was one of the reasons why the Reign of Terror was unjust because they treated their own citizens very poorly. On the map, it shows that the Reign of Terror was unjust because the government was forcing people to join the military against their will. “The Vendee region was the hub of the counterrevolution. People here fiercely fought against military draft called the levee en masse and against laws that tried to abolish Christianity in France” (Doc C). The government proved to be very strict and forced people into the military draft called the levee en masse.
Robespierre led the French Revolution known as “The Reign of Terror”. The new government would execute large numbers of individuals whom they believed to be enemies of the revolution. So, the Reign of Terror was unjustified, for it not only violated the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen in multiple cases, specifically articles two and ten, but also caused the death of thousands. Although the Committee of Public Safety had good intentions, it ended up doing more harm than good as they invaded people’s lives and disregarded their rights as human beings.
Also many French citizens fought against the military draft called the levée en masse and against laws that tried to abolish Christianity in France. France was being attacked from two fronts, outside invaders and by rebels and émigrés. Desperate times require desperate measures. The timeline enforces that The Reign of Terror was justified, it successfully fought enemies from both inside and outside of France. First, the counter-revolution in Western France fell in December 1793.
The Reign of Terror did not support the ideals of the revolution. Unfortunately for French citizens, they were not able to elect tribunal members. The tribunal members, who have absolute power were “appointed by the National Convention” (Document E). French people were rejected in their own country, which is proven by the statement that “conspirators are, in its eyes, only strangers”(Document G). The original ideals were made to protect the people of France but instead they were killing
The Reign of Terror was justified for three reasons: it is the government's responsibility to protect its nation, the needs of the group is more important than the need of the individual, and the one punishment for treason is death. The government’s main responsibility is to protect their nation. According to Document C, France was fighting a battle
The Reign of Terror was a bad and horrific period that lasted almost a year. It involved the rough and dark reality of crowd justice and murder as the terminal for the victims of the same. By this time, rough justice was the word in the streets of Paris and in other sections of the country. The Jacobins and the sun-culottes joined hands. The violence was unstoppable.
The Reign of Terror in France was not justified. This claim can be supported by looking at three areas: external threat, the internal threat, and the methods. The external threat was not enough to justify the Reign of Terror. One example of this is that “churches are soon closed by revolutionary government” which is wrong, because people should be able to choose what they believe in (Document A). Another example is that the “Government denies legal counsel to accused enemies of the revolution” (Document A).
A quote from a letter written by a government official from the local government of the town Niort in Western France to the National Convention (Doc D) states, “It is with greatest of sorrow that we inform you that six patriots have already fallen victim to this rabble…” This quote from the letter in Doc D shows how the rabble or crowd of counterrevolutionaries were aggressive and becoming unruly. A quote from the book Triumph and Terror: The French Revolution written by Stecen Otfinoski in 1993 (Doc E) states, “ The purpose was to protect the public safety from enemies both in and outside of France… In the countryside, the slow tribunals were replaced with ruthless commissions that killed an estimated 35,000-40,000 people. Many of these people were guillotined.”
The ‘Reign of Terror’ was not justified because the it took away the rights that the French government had achieved during French Revolution. One piece of evidence for this was that during the reign of terror the French people had no freedom of religion. A detail that supports this was the fact that during the Reign of Terror, people were not allowed to practise any religion, especially Christianity. The revolutionary government damaged churches, abolished Sunday worship, and the holidays of Christmas and Easter.
The French Revolution was one of the most significant wars that changed France’s history. The Revolution started in 1789 and ended in 1799 and was mainly initiated by the conditions affecting the Third Estate. Louis XVI was predominately the king during this time period but little did he know that an uprising among the peasants was happening. The French Revolution was caused by the Enlightenment ideas because of the American Revolution, the knowledge of rights, and the questioning of France’s government. The American Revolution was basically the “fire” that ignited the change the Third Estate wanted to see in their country.
France, a country of rich history, culture and beauty. Although France has not always been the poised country, its culture and public perception has shaped our perception of France into a world apart from our own. Outsiders sometimes seem to forget what France really was 300 years ago, but the story stays alive in the hearts of French natives. The “Reign Of Terror” is one of France’s most significant events because it corrupted Frances rights and shaped France into the strong nation it is today. Constant debate floats around in classrooms with the question “Is the “Reign Of Terror” justified?”
Was The Reign Of Terror Justified? The French Revolution was a very problematic time period. After the execution of Louis XVI, the Reign of Terror began during the years of 1793 - 1794 which was led by French politician, Maximilien Robespierre and lasted for 18 months. This topic is controversial when the question, “Was the Reign of Terror justified?” is asked.
The Reign of Terror was an ominous and fierce time in French Revolution history. Radicals took control of the revolutionary ministry. They jailed and killed anyone who they suspected might have not been devoted to the revolution. The French Revolution had started four years before, thanks to the Storming of the Bastille.