preview

Reign Of Terror Dbq Essay

Decent Essays

During the French Revolution, there was a period of radical ideas and actions. This period is known as the Reign of Terror. The reign of terror was not justified because of the revolutionaries failure to follow their original beliefs, the threats received by the revolutionaries wasn’t severe enough for such drastic actions, and the brutal methods used were unnecessary. The beliefs of the revolution were not followed through; making the Reign of Terror period unjustified. In the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens, article 10 states “no one should be silenced on account of his opinions, including his religious views” (doc A). Although, through the setup of the Committee of Public Safety, the National Convention spied on the citizens of France (doc E). This committee which started out protecting people from any potential threats turned into a country full of people fearing and worrying about every word in which they speak. And these accused were denied …show more content…

The Reign of Terror did not start until September 5, 1793 (doc B). The National Convention however has been receiving threats from both in and outside of the country since at least 1791. In 1791, on August 27, Austria and Prussia showed their support for the French monarchy. There was no drastic action taken to stop these two countries from spreading such thoughts, until 1792 where a war broke out, but wars are not uncommon between countries. Plus, this war wasn’t really unethical. In Robespierre's, Report on the Principles of Public Morality, he talks about how “social protection is due only [to] peaceful citizens” and how “we must smother the internal and external enemies of the Republic” (doc G). He is answering threats with threats, which, as he will soon find out, does not help him much. Robespierre did want order, but he tried to use chaos and fear to get

Get Access