The Guillotine was referred to as the "Nation's Razor" and was heavily used throughout the reign of terror
France
during the years 1789 through to 1794 was a drastically different France from
the previous years of its existence, as well as its future years. This period,
known as the French Revolution, is categorized as a pivotal period in which the
social fabric and political landscape of France is forever changed. From the
humble beginnings of Clovis I through to Charlemagne, all the way down to Louis
XIV; France has only known monarchy as a means of governance. But all of that
drastically changed when France preformed a full 180 degree turn in the way
government is exercised. The vast majority of Frenchmen and women elected to
have a king no more, but rather a republic which sought to make a new society.
The drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789,
along with the coup d’etat which rendered France a constitutional monarchy, and
the eventual regicide of King Louis XVI in 1793, ultimately made France a republic:
a republic where every citizen was equal in both liberty and opportunity (famously
expressed through the motto of Equality, Liberty, Fraternity). One such group
that prompted all this civic change were the Jacobins, who later on in this
research paper, shall be revealed as the driving force behind the French
revolution in all manners, for better and for worse.
The
Jacobins started off innocently enough as spectators of local and national
events in France. Having their origins stemming from the province of Brittany,
the Jacobins were a café society (cafés at the time were places of
philosophical and political discussions).[1]
The club itself was born in fire, at the time of heightened tension amongst the
peoples of France. The epicenter of revolutionary action was taking place in
Paris at the time; so naturally, the Jacobins branched out and established
their main chapter in Paris where they could remain a relevant influence in the
National Constituent Assembly (the zeitgeist behind the French Revolution). In
due time, their influence spread and reigned supreme among the other clubs and
factions of the National Assembly. But as time progressed and the patience of
the people was wearing out. The Jacobins began to be more militant and
notwithstanding towards opponents of the revolution who exercised the same
principles (such as freedom of expression) that they were so valiantly
supporting. There were rumors that were circulating around France, mostly
pertaining to the termination of the revolution which added fuel to the
paranoid fervor of the National Assembly. As quoted by Frederick William of
Prussia, he promised to use military action to affirm “the basis of a
monarchial government equally suitable to the rights of the Sovereigns and the
well-being of the French nation”.[2] Prussia
was viewed as an enemy of France, but enemies of the state existed from within
France’s boarders as well. The Jacobins made/labelled enemies during their
ascension into the public sphere quite often.
A sansculottes member sporting the tricolours as well as wearing the Phrygian Cap (Liberty Cap)
The Jacobins exercised
retribution towards royalists and Girondins (a political faction that opposed
the Jacobins later during the revolution) alike, anyone who upheld their ideas:
often times, the punishment was met with the fall of the blade of the
Guillotine. With such a quick conversion from liberalism to radicalism, one has
to wonder how this happened. Indeed, why did the Jacobins (at one point, a progressive
political party) who utilized enlightenment period ideologies, go from being
truly liberal and democratic, to a radical and tyrannical group that instigated
violent acts and dictatorial policies? To fully understand the answer to this
question, one need only look at the dire circumstances that eighteenth century
France brought to its citizens, as well as the nature of its people who lead
France under the guise of liberty.
