The Reign of Terror

1. The Reign of Terror By FarrahHawkrider

2. What was the committee of Public Safety? • The committee of Public Safety was formed by the National Convention in March 1793 • It is a committee that possess the power to take anything from anybody as long as it supported the war • Dominant during the terror between 1793-1794 Description of Committee: • Made up of twelve members • Eight of the members were lawyers • Not all members were always present • Members worked to save the revolution from - Foreign invasion - Civil war

3. What was the community of Public Safety ? (continued) Robespierre was elected to the committee on 1793 • Shared collective responsibility with his 11 colleagues • Became the dominant leader and decision maker Radical members were Danton, Louis-Antione Saint-Just, Lazare Carnot, and Collot d’ Herbois

4. Role during the terror • Main role of the committee • Mobilize the economy • Organize the war effort: Administration of recruitment Organize the supplies • Methods used to control people: • Undemocratic decrees • Intimidation • brutality • Justification for methods • National security concerns • Indentifying the countries enemies

5. Causes of the Reign Terror External threats • War with Austria and Prussia • European monarchs were angry over the death of King Louis XVI Internal Threats • Terror was intended to locate and kill traitors • Men in power used the terror to kill political rivals • men and women, rich and poor, high-ranking politician, lowest criminal- all could be swept up and executed

6. Vendee Civil War • First region in which the organized into a counter-revolution • Reasons for the rebellion • Changes to the Catholic church under the civil constitution of the clergy. • Many perish priests refused to take the oath of loyalty • Peasants supported their priest against government • National convention decreed a draft of 300,000 men • Verdeans wanted to fight the revolutionaries • didn’t want to fight Foreign enemies in war • Royal and Catholic Army was formed to fight the Revolution • Vendee ended with many peasant deaths and government control of the area

7. Terror Laws • Law of Suspects • Passed on September 17 , 1793 • All ex-nobles, including women and children, faced arrest unless they could prove that they supported the revolution • Anyone who criticized the revolution faced arrest • Surveillance committees sprang up throughout the country to enforce the laws of suspects. • A legal system open to abuse and which neighbor could turn on neighbor was created. • Anyone could denounce someone they did not like, leading to that person’s arrest • Within a year, about 300,000 people were arrested under the law of suspects.

8. Law of Prairial • Passed on June 10, 1974 • Created more repressive measures to catch enemies of the revolution • “the revolutionary tribunal is instituted in order to punish the enemies of the people”. • Listed the punishment for the enemies • each citizen can arrest the counter revolutionaries • enemies were arraign before magistries • the accused were tried in public warts • punishment was death