Terrorism During The French Revolution

The term '”terrorism” was first used in English during the French Revolution, when the Jacobins, rulers of the revolutionary state, employed violence, including mass executions by guillotine, to intimidate regime enemies. Back then, the definition of a “terrorist” was: “an adherent or supporter of the Jacobins, who advocated and practiced methods of partisan repression and bloodshed in the propagation of the principles of democracy and equality” (oxforddictionaries.com). It was in this context, during the period of violence known as The Reign of Terror, that a new term emerged from Robespierre’s a speech on the trial of Louis XVI in late 1792. The king, “enemy of the people”, he argued must be judged as a foreign enemy who conspired against …show more content…
It terrorized because no one could know for certain what it took to be considered part of the people or one of its enemies during those time of social unrest. Once established, the category of enemy of the people could easily be extended and no one was safe from suspicion, nor those on the right who wanted to stop the violence, or those on the left who preached a complete break from tradition. The former category would often be identified as pro-aristocratic, thus a foe of democracy and the latter as radical and compromising for the revolutionary movement (Ansart). The term “terrorism” was born as a result of specific historical circumstances and the language of terror was part of the political rhetoric. In the absence of a clear definition, it left room for interpretations, created confusion and instilled fear. Nevertheless, there was one constant: it would be always associated in the collective consciousness with something that threatened freedom and the will of the people, which were the ideals behind the French …show more content…
46), directed at the likes of anarchists or anti-tsarist revolutionaries who used bombings and assassinations as recurrent weapons in their fight against autocracy. The invention of dynamite, and its widespread distribution the 19th century, gave enormous power to anyone able to obtain it. International terrorism was born when violent acts carried out in the service of political causes grabbed global attention. The concept of “Propaganda of the deed” primarily associated with acts of left-wing terrorism of the late 19th and early 20th century which suggested that the obvious action of individuals would inspire further action by others, creating a snowball effect became popular among anarchists