DBQ Terror

Discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the Terror as an instrument of

the French Revolution.

The Terror in the summer of 1793 created great turmoil within France. The Jacobins had forced their way into the French government. Now, the country was chaotic, and in complete disorder. Prussia, Austria, and Britain were all either threatening France or fighting to keep them out of their country. However, throughout this entire panic stricken year, peace came out of chaos, and there was a positive outcome to this mess.

Charles James Fox in Document 4 exclaimed that it is sad for France to be ruled by so many criminals when the people of the country are capable of such great energy. He thinks that they should have been able to overthrow a government with the majority of the people against the new government. That with over 25 million people in France, the Jacobins should have been overthrown with ease. General Ronsin said that the rebellious people who follow after this outcry of revolt should also be punished equal to those who were the first to create this revolution. In the document he says, " it is necessary that the flames from their devastated dens proclaim tar and wide the punishment that is destined for those who try to imitate them." On March 20, 1794, a report(Document 13) is sent to the government saying "You daily hear that they consist of a number of intriguers, who plunder the nation and oppress citizens. It is a fact that there is no section in Paris which is not dissatisfied with its revolutionary committee or does not seriously desire to have them abolished." Everyone in Paris is unhappy with the revolutionary government.

There were very few in France who were happy with this new revolutionary government. On February 3, 1794, people began to get out of control and that “bitter complaints already expressed numberless times, were repeated today of the arrest and imprisonment of citizens who are good patriots and are victims of ambition, cupidity, jealousy, and, in short, every human passion.” There was very little to be said that was good about the Terror. Interestingly enough though, Louis Antoine de Saint-Just said in a speech that even though there were so many problem going on including Calvados being in revolt, and their armies being defeated in Pvrenees and surrounding Mont Blanc, their greatest problem was the anxiety of a radical government taking over and the amount of concentration of an authority needed to save France. The rebels had gotten into the people's minds and hearts and struck fear there. It had created the chaos that surrounded the people.

However, afterwards many of the rebels were executed. In the first document, it shows how much of France in 1793 had been the holding place of those executions. Vendee, part of Paris, Lore, and Lyon had had over 495 executions. Bordeaux, Nimes, Toulouse, and Calvados had between 100 and 400 executions. Document 3 showed how many executions were held in which cities. All of France had had a total of 13,347 executions. And in Document 2, it showed the number of deaths caused by the social groups in the Terror. In total, Paris had had 2,639, and the rest of France had had 11,361 deaths.

The rebels had struck fear and hatred in the people of France. No one liked them, but most were too scared of them to do anything. Death was all around the country, and people had needed to take action. However, throughout all of this, good had come forward. The revolutionists were executed and justice was brought forth. Throughout this entire panic stricken year, peace came out of chaos, and there was a positive outcome to this mess.