Title: The Reign of Terror Essay - 1305 Words
Headings: The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror
Content: One of the causes was foreign war. The French Republic was proclaimed on 22nd September 1792, embracing new political ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity as outlined in the Declaration of the Rights of Man on 5th October, 1789. In order to firmly establish the new French Republic, the French Government declared war against Austria to prevent royalist uprisings. But this led to an increase of enemies of neighbouring countries who were still ruled by the monarchy and saw the Republic as a threat to their stability and privileges, such as Prussia, Sardinia, England and Holland. The fear of a revolution in their own countries was exemplified by the execution of King Louis XVI on 21st January 1792, who was a figurehead of the Ancien Regime, and as Saint-Just described, "a menace to the Republic". Therefore, Robespierre said, "The king must die so that the country can live." so that it could give way to the new ideas of the Republic. The constant fear of conspirators and foreign attacks forced the French Government to take violent and extreme measures to protect their values. Counter revolutionaries was another reason. There were major revolts in Vendee, Lyon, Marseilles, Brittany, Normandy, Toulouse and some southern cities of France, where there were heavy densities of émigrés, recalcitrant priests, and opponents of the extreme policies proposed by the Jacobin Government.