The French Revolution’s ‘Reign of Terror’ was unjustified in both the context in which it was created and in retrospect. The reign of terror was used by Maximilien Robespierre to consolidate his own power and influence in the country and provided no productive solutions to many major underlying socio-economic issues. It also led to the ultimate downfall of everything the French Revolution stood for as a result of the thousands of wrongful public executions and convictions.
Maximilien Robespierre used his power within the ‘Committee of Public Safety’ to exercise control over the French Government and consolidate his influence and power among the country and people. Not only to the committee legislate mass conscription but they also passed …show more content…
By the end of the reign of terror the focus of the revolution movement moved from ‘equality’ to ‘peace’. This means that instead of the Jacobin movement gaining power they actually indirectly handed over influence to the far less radical Girondins who may have not been in support of a monarchy but reverted back to a culture of socio-economic class dominance. This aspect of the Girondin government is obviously contradictory to the original revolutionary movement for equality in French society. This bourgeois movement in the French government also worsened the conditions for lower classes as well, meaning another step taken backwards. Also thanks to the ‘Revolutionary Wars’ Napoleon was able to gain influence within the country as well and not only planned the coup against the Jacobins but also orchestrated another against the new Girondin government. This is significant due to the kind of government Napoleon run which was a militaristic and a virtual dictatorship. Napoleon also plunged the French people into the ‘Napoleonic Wars’ bringing them back to square one and right where they left off with Louis XVI. The reign of terror brought the demise of the revolutions philosophy of ‘equality’ and allowed for corrupt and disingenuous governments to take power at the expense of the lower
Maximilien Robespierre used his power within the ‘Committee of Public Safety’ to exercise control over the French Government and consolidate his influence and power among the country and people. Not only to the committee legislate mass conscription but they also passed …show more content…
By the end of the reign of terror the focus of the revolution movement moved from ‘equality’ to ‘peace’. This means that instead of the Jacobin movement gaining power they actually indirectly handed over influence to the far less radical Girondins who may have not been in support of a monarchy but reverted back to a culture of socio-economic class dominance. This aspect of the Girondin government is obviously contradictory to the original revolutionary movement for equality in French society. This bourgeois movement in the French government also worsened the conditions for lower classes as well, meaning another step taken backwards. Also thanks to the ‘Revolutionary Wars’ Napoleon was able to gain influence within the country as well and not only planned the coup against the Jacobins but also orchestrated another against the new Girondin government. This is significant due to the kind of government Napoleon run which was a militaristic and a virtual dictatorship. Napoleon also plunged the French people into the ‘Napoleonic Wars’ bringing them back to square one and right where they left off with Louis XVI. The reign of terror brought the demise of the revolutions philosophy of ‘equality’ and allowed for corrupt and disingenuous governments to take power at the expense of the lower