Examine the impact of the terror in France 1793-94
The French Revolution had entered a new era between the ages of 1793 to 1794, suddenly the revolution took a bloody turn for the worst with the introduction of the Reign of Terror. In July 1793 the French Revolution was at its lowest ebb, enemy forces were advancing over French soil, British troops hovered near French ports, the Vendee was a large region of open rebellion and there were a number of federalist revolts and meanwhile there was power struggles in Paris between the Sans Culottes and their enemies. Initially the Committee of Public Safety was put in force on 6th April 1793 to preserve the reforms of the French Revolution, their aim was to eliminate all internal counterrevolutionary elements, to raise new armies, and to assure food supplies for the armies and cities. Some of their measures were demanded by the people of Paris, whose support was essential. Under the command of the infamous Robespierre forwarding the late Marat's still prominent ideas, chiefly that only the extreme use of the guillotine against traitors, suspects and counter revolutionaries would solve the country's problems; they felt terror was needed.
Firstly a main tool that the Convention used in the Reign of Terror was the CGS and CPS. The CGS (Committee of General Security) was introduced with the task of rooting out all anti republican opposition. On the 10th of March 1793 a Revolutionary Tribunal was set up in Paris to try counter revolutionary suspects. This was to become one of the main instruments of what was to become known as the Terror. The tribunals were one of the machines of terror used to achieve one of the Conventions main aims of identifying, observing and punishing suspects. The observational aim came when the Comites de Surveillance were set up in each commune and each section of major towns, they provided many victims for the Revolutionary Tribunal and essentially became like big brother in the sections. Severe measure were to be taken against the rebels. The Summary Execution decree provided the trial and execution of armed rebels within 24hours of capture, trials were without jury and no appeal. The CGS was to now become the secret police for the convention, it seemed at this moment in time the Revolution was taking a u-turn, suddenly the convention became so paranoid of anti revolutionaries that they began to enforce the very same strategies of absolutism and injustice that created the Revolution in the first place. The enforcement of unfair laws upon the people of France did the opposite of what the revolution had promised. The people were forced into secrecy, paranoia and victims of an unfair legal system exactly the opposite of the fraternity, equality and liberation that the Revolution had initially promised. The Convention feared anti republican opposition so much that it was willing to risk the moral essence of the cause it was fighting for. The significance of the CPG is illustrated as...
