Reign Of Terror DBQ

Words: 655
Pages: 3

Shortly after the American Revolution, the French Revolution occurred, in which the monarchy was overthrown because Enlightenment ideas were captivating the minds of the citizens of France. The people wanted more power and saw how the American Revolution had gained the Americans The Reign of Terror lasted a little less than two years and was a period of the violence during the French Revolution. Over 35,000 French people were killed by the French government, and 20,000 of those were killed just by the guillotine. The Reign of Terror began shortly after the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793. It was declared by Maximilien Robespierre. This period of the mass murder of the French counterrevolutionaries ended in late July of 1794. So was the Reign of Terror justified, and did it have a good or reasonable purpose? It was not justified and it killed tons of innocent people …show more content…
By using the the Committee of Public Safety, the French government was keeping tabs on all of their citizens under the impression that they were protecting them against the Revolution (Document E). The start of the Committee of Public Safety was as watch committees set up in every neighborhood as a means of sniffing out foreign counter revolutionaries. Soon afterwards, the Committee of Public Safety was formed to protect the French population from enemies inside and outside France. It pretty soon became clear that the true purpose of the Committee was to be able spy and keep an eye on all citizens. No one was safe from suspicion. If any person were to even whisper a word against the government, they were rushed to a prison or to be executed. Over 20,000 people were executed by the guillotine alone during the Reign of Terror. The chance of all of those people being rebellious and keeping back progress is highly unlikely even taking in the fact that they may have not been very supportive of the Revolution