The French Revolution

The French Revolution: Supporting Documents Overview

Source A: A Paris Night by Nicolas-Edme Restif of Bretonne (1793)

  • Context: This essay provides a first-person account of a horrific event in Paris during the Revolution.

  • Imagery of Violence:

    • Description of a woman, terrified and forced by her captors to shout "Vive la nation!"

    • The woman refuses and is subsequently subjected to brutal violence: "one of the killers grabbed her, tore away her dress, and ripped open her stomach."

  • Personal Reaction:

    • The narrator's reaction: fainting at the sight of carnage and horror. Highlights the psychological impact of such violence on civilians.

  • Aftermath of Violence:

    • Reference to the intention of displaying decapitated heads as trophies of the bloodshed: "they were going to wash it, curl its hair, stick it on the end of a pike."

  • Social Observations:

    • Notable detail that only about 150 active killers participated, with the majority of Parisians remaining passive or complicit: "The rest of Paris looked on in fear or approval, or stayed behind closed shutters."

Source B: The Radical’s Arms (1819, English Periodical)

  • Content: A satirical cartoon reflecting radical sentiments against established authority, illustrated as an expression of discontent with traditional structures of power.

  • Themes Present:

    • Rejection of religious and political authority: "No God! No Religion!! No King! No Constitution!!"

    • The disconnected nature of radicalism as an emblem of the broader revolutionary sentiment.

Source C: Convention's Declaration on Terror (5 September 1793)

  • Context: The National Convention formally supports Robespierre’s notion of using terror as a tool for maintaining revolutionary fervor and unity.

  • Textual Declaration:

    • "Terror is the Order of the Day" - highlights a shift toward acceptance of violence as a means to preserve order.

  • Parisians' Sentiments:

    • Citizens expressing a desire for decisive action against both internal enemies and external threats, indicating a state of fear and desperation.

    • Assertion that they would rather die than trade their liberty for sustenance: "to force them to shamefully trade their liberty and sovereignty for a piece of bread…"

Source D: Maximilien Robespierre's Speech (February 1794)

  • Objective of Revolution: Robespierre articulates the goals driving the Revolution.

    • Aim for "liberty and equality" and the rule of "eternal justice."

    • Vision of a society where virtues take precedence over vices, extolling the need for morality and reason over customs.

  • Contrast with Monarchical Values:

    • Robespierre describes a shift from the vices of monarchy to the virtues of the Republic: "substitute morality for egotism, probity for honor, principles for conventions."

  • Overall Vision:

    • Aspiration for France to become a paradigm for future nations: "that France, hitherto illustrious among slave states, may eclipse the glory of all free peoples…" highlighting the ambition of revolutionary ideals.

Source E: Economic Conditions in Paris During 1793

  • Context: Analysis of the social conditions affecting the ordinary Parisian sans-culotte amidst the Revolution's turmoil.

  • Key Issues:

    • Food shortages lead to unrest: long queues at bakeries and severe hunger described as immediate concerns.

    • Demands for action against hoarding merchants and requests for government involvement in economic management.

  • Pressure from Below:

    • Segment of the population pushing for requisitioning grain and re-establishing economic controls akin to those under the absolute monarchy.

    • Local officials acting as intermediaries conveying demands to higher authorities, underscoring grassroots revolutionary fervor.

  • Impact on Leaders:

    • Leaders like Robespierre feeling threatened by the rising demands from the working class and the potential loss of control over the Revolution's course.