Unfortunately, Ms Separ was not in class to inspire our young minds today. However, by reading five documents, we were (hopefully) able to understand these readings and answer the questions about the Reign of Terror.
Reading #1 describes the acts King Louis XVI committed that led him to his trial. These include: preventing representatives from attending the Estates-General, using troops against citizens, trying to flee the country for his own benefit, signing a constitution that he didn’t follow, and refusing to sign any other documents to limit his power. Reading #1 also mentions the French term “émigrés,” which is someone who fled the Revolution and then lived in a foreign nation.
Reading #2 is written by a radical political leader named Camille Desmoulins, who expressed his opinion on Maximilien Robespierre’s ways of establishing a republic. Desmoulins basically said that the reasons why so many people were executed or arrested are foolish and are definitely not a threat to the republic. Camille Desmoulins mocked the fact that innocent acts caused severe punishments, and he was then later blamed for “ruining the Republic” himself, which just proves his point.
Reading #3 is the speech that Robespierre gave to gain support for the Revolution and the establishment of a republic. He claimed that the goal of the Revolution is to provide liberty, equality, eternal justice, and laws that everyone can agree with. These ideas coincide with Enlightenment values.
Reading #4 lists the laws enforced by Robespierre that lay out his definition of tyranny and punishment. All people that possess anything resembling monarchs or absolutism faced punishment. “Enemies of liberty” were those who speak or write of ideas that oppose the Republic. People who didn’t participate in the Revolution were also considered “enemies of liberty.”
Reading #5 provides information about the execution of Robespierre. At first, Robespierre was seen as an “idol” for his radical ideas of completely removing the king. Then again, it seems that anyone that supported rights for the majority of the population were well-liked. Eventually, after executions of people without any investigating, Robespierre was guillotined just like what happened to his victims.
I apologize for the long blog; Summarization of each document was necessary in my opinion. Matt P., you better be ready to write the next blog!
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