History Essay - Key Sentances

The Catholic Community — Outcome of the Civil Consitution of the clergy

• The Civil Constitution transformed religious disagreement into political disloyalty.

• The move from "legal penalties" to "total war/massacre."

• Idea of liberty - freedom of religion

San Culotte - Main argument

• Popular violence (from sans-culottes) pressured revolutionary governments to legitimise repression and institutionalise terror as a means of protecting the Republic.

• Rather than supressing revolutionary violence - the governemnt increasingly intitutionalised it through the terror and law of suspects.

• Idea of representative government undermined

• Idea of protection from arbitrary punishment undermined.

Counter Revolutionaries

• The Federalist Revolts transformed political opposition into perceived treason, provoking Government to centralise authority and legitimise mass repression through the Terror.

• law of 14 Frimaire, - the 'Constitution of the Terror' granted the Committee of Public Safety absolute executive authority

• Idea of decentralisation of power undermined

• Idea of equity before the law removed.

• Idea of protection from arbitrary punishment undermined.

3 Groups - Overall challenge and Governmental response:

Group	Threat Type	Government Response
Catholics	ideological/religious	repression + forced loyalty
Sans-culottes	popular violence	institutionalised terror
Federalists	political opposition	centralisation + mass repression

OVERALL CONCEPT:

The revolutionary government increasingly prioritised political unity over the revolutionary principles of liberty and freedom of belief.

• Defend the Revolution from internal opposition - CPS replicated the authoritarianism and repression that the Revolution had originally sought to destroy.

Contention:

Protecting the revolution became justification for authoritarian control, the Revolutionary Government going against the principles on which it was established.

—

• liberty → repression

• sovereignty (independance of gov) → coercion (persuaded by force)

• democracy → terror

Quote on Terror:

Willingness of politicians to use the “threat or the fact of violence… had given them the power to challenge constituted authority.”

KEY IDEAS OF 1789!

• Liberty

• Freedom of Speech

• Freedom of religion / religious tolerance

• Popular sovereignty (gov power is decided by people)

• Separation of powers

• representative government,

• equality before law,

• protection from arbitrary punishment.

*Wanted to avoid absolute power of one body.

Intro: CONTENTION

• From the development of the new regime in 1789 France, post-revolutionary social groups including urban workers, the catholic community and counter revolutionists posed an increasing threat to the state of the revolution.

• Protecting the revolution became justification for authoritarian control, the Revolutionary Government going against the principles on which it was established. Ultimately, it was the willingness of politicians to use the “threat …of violence that ..[gave] them the power to challenge constituted authority” (Schama). Therefore, the governmental responses to social groups were primarily responded to with violence, such bloodshed in direct opposition to liberty and popular sovereignty.

Conclusion:

• 30,000 deaths IN TERROR!