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The French Revolution began in 1789 as a movement to end feudalism, curb royal power, and establish the ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. But revolutions are rarely orderly. By 1793, France faced war with most of Europe, internal rebellions, and deep political divisions — and the Revolution itself became a weapon.
The Committee of Public Safety, dominated by Maximilien Robespierre, took control of France in 1793. The Committee claimed it was protecting the Revolution — that radical measures were necessary to defend the gains made since 1789 against enemies both foreign and domestic.
But what did "protecting the Revolution" actually mean in practice? That is what you will investigate today.
Before examining primary sources, read the textbook account of the Reign of Terror. This is the version most students encounter first — the "standard story." Read it carefully, then answer the questions below.
Jacobin leaders unleashed the Reign of Terror in the summer of 1793. Across France, guillotines were set up in public squares. Thousands of people died in the months that followed.
The guillotine was a machine designed to execute people by cutting off their heads quickly and efficiently. In Paris, executions became a public spectacle. People would gather in the square to watch, as if it were a form of entertainment.
To justify the Terror, Robespierre argued that it was necessary to protect the Republic. "Terror is nothing more than speedy, severe, and inflexible justice," he declared. He believed that those who opposed the Revolution, or were merely suspected of opposing it, deserved death. Many people who were not genuine enemies of the Revolution were killed.
The Committee of Public Safety went far beyond killing political enemies. It also tried to wipe out every trace of the old way of life. Churches were closed. Even the calendar was changed — months were renamed and Sundays were eliminated — to break from the past and Christianity.
By mid-1794, even loyal revolutionaries were being killed. No one felt safe. Finally, in July 1794, a group of conspirators turned against Robespierre. He was arrested and guillotined — by the very same machine he had used on so many others. The Reign of Terror was over.
The Committee of Public Safety passed many laws during the Terror. Some targeted political opponents. Others targeted economic behavior. Document A is one such economic law — the Decree Against Profiteers, passed in 1793.
If Document A targeted economic "enemies" of the Revolution, Document B targeted political ones. The Law of Suspects, also passed in 1793, defined who could be arrested as an enemy of the Revolution — and the list is striking.
The following are declared suspects:
You have read the textbook account and two primary source documents from the Committee of Public Safety itself. It is time to render your verdict on the central question.
Historians have debated the Reign of Terror for over two centuries. Was it a necessary response to genuine existential threats — or a system of political terror that betrayed the Revolution's own values? Here is what the scholarly record shows:
Decree Against Profiteers (Document A) — This decree is often cited as evidence that the Committee genuinely cared about economic equality. Price controls and punishments for hoarding protected poor consumers from wealthy merchants who exploited shortages. Many historians see it as consistent with the Revolution's egalitarian ideals — even if the death penalty for hoarding is extreme.
Law of Suspects (Document B) — This law is almost universally cited by historians as evidence that the Terror had moved beyond legitimate self-defense. Arresting people for being the relatives of émigrés, or for failing to display sufficient "attachment" to the Revolution, meant that anyone could be accused with almost no evidence. The vagueness of the categories was not accidental — it gave local committees enormous power to target political opponents.