The Reign of Terror
By Linda Leija
What started out as an address to the economic and political threats in our nearby country of France has now spiraled into an epic tragedy in the horrible fall of 1793. The English Channel is simply not a large enough body of water for us in England to ignore the harsh truths of the savage French society. Robespierre, a repulsive and arrogant man, is truly getting out of hand, as he continues to lash out on anyone whose beliefs oppose his own. He, along with a group of Jacobins, set up the Committee of Public Safety, and this powerful group runs the Terror. They are attempting to use fear as leverage to get people to do their bidding. Over the past nine months, about thirty-five thousand innocent French citizens have been killed for any opinion counterrevolutionary. The dreaded guillotine is constantly wet with the blood of terrified victims. This horrifying period in France is therefore defined as the Reign of Terror.
The radical message being sent throughout France is evidently negative: support the French Revolution or die. This is unethical because all people have a right to their own opinion, and denying them this right only brings about further chaos. In addition, the cease of any royalist newspapers being printed in France inhibits French citizens from being informed of anything against the outrageous radicals. Censorship paired with the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette has caused an extreme political crisis and the oppression of the French people. Increased rivalry and hatred amongst the Girondins and Jacobins are being channeled toward the mass executions. Anyone who breaks the law or is even suspected of breaking the law is immediately sent to the guillotine. It seems as though the British Whig member and theorist, Edmund Burke, who prophesied complete and total destruction of French civilization, has been proven correct. That being said, French radicals should take Burke’s words into consideration because revolutionaries are in desperate need of wisdom. In conclusion, there must be a stop to the Terror in order for stability and rationality to be regained to our neighboring country.
The radical message being sent throughout France is evidently negative: support the French Revolution or die. This is unethical because all people have a right to their own opinion, and denying them this right only brings about further chaos. In addition, the cease of any royalist newspapers being printed in France inhibits French citizens from being informed of anything against the outrageous radicals. Censorship paired with the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette has caused an extreme political crisis and the oppression of the French people. Increased rivalry and hatred amongst the Girondins and Jacobins are being channeled toward the mass executions. Anyone who breaks the law or is even suspected of breaking the law is immediately sent to the guillotine. It seems as though the British Whig member and theorist, Edmund Burke, who prophesied complete and total destruction of French civilization, has been proven correct. That being said, French radicals should take Burke’s words into consideration because revolutionaries are in desperate need of wisdom. In conclusion, there must be a stop to the Terror in order for stability and rationality to be regained to our neighboring country.
Bibliography
Popkin, Jeremy D. "The Royalist Press in the Reign of Terror." The Journal of Modern History. No. 4 ed. Vol. 51. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1979. 685-700. JSTOR. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Hbulpett. "Guillotine." Flickr. Yahoo!, 13 Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Popkin, Jeremy D. "The Royalist Press in the Reign of Terror." The Journal of Modern History. No. 4 ed. Vol. 51. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1979. 685-700. JSTOR. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Hbulpett. "Guillotine." Flickr. Yahoo!, 13 Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.