Unit 8 Module 4

Why were the Jacobins called "the Mountain"?

Why were the Jacobins called "the Mountain"?

They were called "the Mountain" because they occupied the highest seats in the convention hall.

Who was the most radical faction of the Legislative Assembly?

The Girondins were the most radical faction of the Legislative Assembly.

Were the Girondins considered radical or conservative in the National Convention?

The Girondins were considered conservative in the National Convention.

Who was the most radical faction of the National Convention?

Instead of the Girondins, the most radical faction of the National Convention was the Jacobins.

On September 22, 1792, what did the National Convention declare France?

The National Convention declared France a republic and as a result, deposed of the king.

What did the Convention find Louis guilty of when they tried him?

They found him guilty of treasonable communication with the enemy.

After the Convention found Louis guilty when they tried him, what ensued?

After they found Louis guilty, an extended debate ensued over whether to execute the king.

Were the Girondins opposed or in favor of executing the king?

They were opposed to executing the king.

Were the Jacobins opposed or in favor of executing the king?

They were in favor of executing the king.

On January 21, 1793, what did the Convention vote on?

They voted on a narrow margin to execute Louis.

What were Louis' last words before he was executed?

His last words were: "I die innocent."

Why did the revolutionary government adopt the newly invented guillotine as its instrument of choice for execution?

It adopted the guillotine because it considered the device more efficient and therefore humane than other methods of execution, such as hanging and the ax.

Ten months after Louis' execution, who followed him to the guillotine?

Marie Antoinette followed Louis to the guillotine.

The executions of Louis and Marie Antoinette along with the new French army recruits' surprising success against the Austrian and Prussian coalition sent?

The executions of Louis and Marie Antoinette along with the new French army recruits' surprising success against the Austrian and Prussian coalition sent a shudder of horror through the royal courts of Europe.

Which nations joined Austria and Prussia in their coalition against France?

Britain, the Dutch Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, and Naples joined Austria and Prussia in a great coalition against France.

What internal threats were there to the revolutionary government?

The internal threats were that the peasants of the Vendee region in western France were stirred up by the nonjuring clergy and therefore rebelled against the republican government. They wanted their king, their priests, and the Old Regime.

Why did the leaders of the Mountain decide to take drastic action?

They decided to take drastic action because they were faced with a seemingly inevitable demise of their cause. They were also threatened by radical demands from the sans-culottes.

For support, who did the leaders of the Mountain turn to?

They turned to the Paris Commune (city government).

Who controlled the Paris Commune?

Radicals and the sans-culottes controlled the Paris Commune.

How did the sans-culottes want to carry the Revolution?

They wanted to carry the Revolution even further, toward more direct democracy and governmental controls over the price of bread.

True or false: Although the Mountain's leaders did not fully agree with the sans-culottes, they were willing to work with them to gain supremacy.

True: Although the Mountain's leaders did not fully agree with the sans-culottes, they were willing to work with them to gain supremacy.

Why did the National Convention vote on the expulsion and arrest of their chief competitors, the Girondin leaders, on June 2, 1793?

The National Convention voted on the expulsion and arrest of the Girondin leaders because it was now dominated by the Mountain and surrounded by a threatening Parisian crowd urged on by sans-culotte leaders.

Why did the National Convention agree to enact the Law of the Maximum to control the price of bread, flour, and other essentials?

It agreed to enact this law because they wanted to pacify the sans-culottes.

After expelling the Girondin leaders, what did the National Convention draft?

It drafted a democratic constitution based on universal male suffrage (voting rights) that promised rights to education and even subsistence (a job or poor relief).

What happened to the democratic constitution that the National Convention drafted after expelling the Girondin leaders?

The Convention soon suspended the constitution in favor of forming the 12-member Committee of Public Safety to guide the country.

What were the 2 main tasks of the Committee of Public Safety?

Their 2 main tasks were one, to secure the Republic against its enemies (both internal and external), and two, to carry out a radical republican program.

With the vast authority granted by the Convention, the Committee of Public Safety enjoyed what?

It enjoyed dictatorial powers.

Who led the Committee of Public Safety?

Maximilien Robespierre (head of the Jacobin Club) led the Committee of Public Safety.

What were Robespierre's goals?

Influenced by Rousseau, his goals were to create a virtuous republic.

In pursuit of creating a virtuous republic, what did Robespierre and his fellow committee members struggle with?

They struggled both to appease and control the unpredictable, threatening sans-culottes.

Why did the Committee of Public Safety institute a Reign of Terror?

They instituted a Reign of Terror to protect the Republic from its internal enemies and to satisfy demands from the sans-culottes.

What happened during the Reign of Terror?

During the Reign of Terror, agents of the committee searched out and tried anyone suspected of being counterrevolutionaries. Even those who had once supported the Revolution (such as the Girondins) whose views had fallen out of favor were arrested and executed.

Where did officials use the Terror most often?

Though many people became victims of arbitrary justice, officials used the Terror most often where real threats arose - regions in revolt and vulnerable areas near France's borders.

To secure the Republic against external enemies, what did the government order?

The government ordered a levee en masse, or general call-up of all men, women, and children to serve the nation. Able-bodied young men were rapidly trained and rushed to the front while everyone else was supposed to contribute to the war effort by collecting or manufacturing supplies for the troops and by bolstering spirit.

What did the united activity for defense of the country (after the government ordered a levee en masse) produce?

It produced an intense national patriotism.

What did Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety do while carrying out their radical republican program?

They attempted to reform institutions and infuse all aspects of French life with revolutionary politics. They intended to create a Republic of Virtue based on Rousseau's ideas of reason and natural law.

What institutions did Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety target first?

They first targeted institutions that in their view, represented the worst of the Old Regime.

True or false: Many officials saw the Catholic Church in a negative light and sold church buildings, turned them into warehouses, and rededicated them as temples of reason.

True: Many officials saw the Catholic Church in a negative light and sold church buildings, turned them into warehouses, and rededicated them as temples of reason.

True or false: Angry radicals disfigured religious statues, even sending some wooden figures of saints to the guillotine and melting down church treasures.

True: Angry radicals disfigured religious statues, even sending some wooden figures of saints to the guillotine and melting down church treasures.

True or false: The most enthusiastic radicals searched out nonjuring clergy for prosecution and pressured even the clergy that had sworn to uphold the Revolution to leave their vocations.

True: The most enthusiastic radicals searched out nonjuring clergy for prosecution and pressured even the clergy that had sworn to uphold the Revolution to leave their vocations.

Some radical leaders hoped that the new festivals established to celebrate the Revolution would provide what?

They hoped that they would provide a sufficient substitute for Christian rituals.

What are some examples of beliefs that revolutionaries tried to create to replace Christianity?

Some examples are the Cult of Reason and the Cult of the Supreme Being (the latter of which Robespierre tried to institute).

The National Convention enacted legislation that took what away from the church?

They enacted legislation that took the rules governing family life and education away from the church, placing them in state hands instead. This resulted in new marriage, divorce, inheritance, and education laws, which increased women's rights.

Did the Jacobins have any desire to free women from their traditional role in the private sphere?

No, they did not have this desire. They rejected women's participation in politics, outlawed female associations, and declared that women's primary duties lay in nurturing children. They concluded that women had no proper role as active citizens and that women's political groups only disrupted the republican order.

How did the new government, the National Convention, try creating support for the Republic?

It tried creating support for the Republic by infusing the objects and activities of everyday life with revolutionary symbols.

Why did the new government, the National Convention, revamp the calendar?

They revamped the calendar in the name of reason and revolutionary principles.

In the revamped revolutionary calendar, what became the first day of Year 1?

September 22, 1792 - the date of the declaration of the Republic - became the first day of Year 1.

True or false: It was during the French Revolution, under the National Convention, that the metric system of weights and measures was introduced and spread.

True: It was during the French Revolution, under the National Convention, that the metric system of weights and measures was introduced and spread.