preview

To What Extent Was The Reign Of Terror Justified

Decent Essays

Was the Reign of Terror Justified
In September of 1793 Robespierre declares the beginning of the Reign of Terror. During this time many innocent people were beheaded for speaking out against the government. The Committee of Public Safety did not have sufficient reason to restrict the rights of the french people and kill them. The increasing pressure from the outside and inside threats did not justify the cruel treatment of the French people who were punished for speaking out, this only caused them to rebel against the government. The committee of public safety used intimidation to control the people instead of using fair laws and regulations. They disregarded the French constitution that the National assembly had previously made. All of this eventually led up to the unhappiness and civil unrest that they had previously wanted …show more content…

Even though the French went through this stressful and hard time, it does not justify the Reign of Terror because it directly contradicts the Promises made by the National Assembly in the French constitution. Article 10 of The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens states that “ No one should be silenced on account of his opinions”. During the Reign of Terror many innocent people were killed because they chose to speak against the government. The government is no longer following the constitution that they had made. According to the constitution, the government did not have any right to kill those who stated their opinions. The French were also nearing victory against the outside threats of Prussia and Austria when the Reign of Terror began. According to document C “ By the fall of 1793 the foreign threat was halted”. At this time, the French government only had to worry about the problems within France. Finding a better and more peaceful solution to the civil unrest should have been a priority instead of creating a new version of the monarchy they had tried to

Get Access