The Turn Toward Radicalism: Summer of 1791
The study of the French Revolution is relevant in the modern world, as it forever changed the worldview of European society, turned people’s minds, and gave the world a bitter experience. The struggle for liberal values played a significant role in the unfolding revolution and a breakthrough toward granting and securing fundamental human rights and freedoms. However, the situation worsened over the following years. It led to the peak of violent revolutionary sentiments, which eventually became essential events in the further development of the entire European society.
Key Radical Leaders and Their Accomplishments
At the end of 1791, a new constitution was adopted, and France was proclaimed a constitutional monarchy. The king, deprived of most of his powers, became a puppet, forced to adapt to one or another event (Fairfax‐Cholmeley, 2019). After the king escaped power, a struggle began mainly between the Girondins and the Jacobins, with the leading figures being Danton and Robespierre. As a result, the Jacobins came to power in one of the most challenging periods, not only during the revolution but throughout France’s entire history.
Robespierre and the “Republic of Virtue”
Maximilian Robespierre has worked out all the main foundations of the system of terror since then. He said it is necessary to exterminate the middle class, and the ragas with which to fight are vicious and rich people who take advantage of the people’s ignorance (Rapport, 2018). The revolutionary tribunal, established in March 1793, became the main body of terror, which tried the enemies of the people without lawyers and without observing any legal formalities, in most cases passing death sentences.
The state increasingly began interfering in economic life: a dictatorship regime was established. In 1794, the position of the Jacobins was strengthened, and the country was liberated from enemies. The food situation improved, petty trade recovered, and industrial production increased.
However, despite all the successes, even within the Jacobins, dissatisfaction with Robespierre matured, and he was accused of an overly demanding policy. The conspirators achieved their goal: on 9 Thermidor, there was a coup, during which Maximilien Robespierre and his associates were accused of tyranny and executed the next day (Fairfax‐Cholmeley, 2019). Thus ended the period of Jacobin domination, in which effective measures were taken to resolve the situation and liberate a country on the verge of extinction.
Lasting Effects of the Radical Phase
The period of revolutionary moods and brutal dictatorship maintained the results obtained only during times of instability, which, however, almost immediately lost their significance after the overthrow of the rulers. After the coup, people interested only in personal enrichment took power into their own hands, leading to a sharp deterioration in the situation of the population. For a long time, the French Revolution excited Europe with its ideas and was an occasion for reflection and active action for many people and communities throughout the century (Fairfax‐Cholmeley, 2019). The ideas of liberation from lawlessness and oppression began to be transferred from one country to another, which became a turning point in world history.
The French Revolution’s Influence on Global Movements
Any revolution causes indelible damage to the state, taking thousands of human lives while not bringing any significant changes, and returning the situation to its original point. The Great French Revolution finally destroyed the feudal system in Europe; Western society turned from feudal to bourgeois. As a result of these historical events, the face of world civilization underwent radical changes. Thus, the extreme events of the French Revolution had a long-term impact on society’s development.
References
Fairfax‐Cholmeley, A. (2019). Reliving the terror: Victims and print culture during the thermidorian reaction in France, 1794–1795. History, 104(362), 606–629. Web.
Rapport, M. (2018). Political trials, terror and civil society: The case of the revolutionary tribunal in Paris, 1793–94. Political Trials in an Age of Revolutions, 267–295. Web.