Terror: The Merciless War for Freedom in Revolutionary France Book

The French Revolution has been repeated throughout history - the Russian Revolution, Mao's China, Pol Pot in Cambodia. They all have antecedents in the French Revolution.

This book begins in 1791, with Louis XVI attempted escape from Paris so we miss some of the key events that started before the "Terror".

Several themes stand out. The French Revolution was in many ways a Civil War. There was opposition to the Revolution in many areas of France, most particularly in the Vendee area (this constitutes the Loire and Nantes divisions of France). The level of violence between the revolutionaries and the counter-revolutionaries was extreme - entire villages were razed. It was much like guerrilla warfare.

Paris was associated with the most extreme of the revolutionaries - it was indeed the center from which all doctrines emanated - each wave more ferocious than the preceding one.

Not only did the Revolution overthrow and literally kill the monarchy (and numerous other aristocrats, nobility…) but it also declared war on the church. Priests had to swear loyalty to the Republic - those who didn't were risking their lives. Church property (mostly Roman Catholic) was seized and confiscated. Religion was mocked by many. One can imagine the shock waves this sent to the monarchist regimes and religious institutions across Europe! The aristocratic emigres from France added to this tension in Germany and England where they helped to organize military expeditions to re-instate the monarchy. This just helped to fuel the increasing paranoia amongst the French revolutionaries. Enemies were seen and suspected everywhere.

Page 163 (my book)

The Convention [this replaced the monarchy] went on to decree that certain categories of person, notably ex-nobles and clergy, were officially "suspect", and liable to detention and deprivation of civil rights. It imposed the death penalty for a variety of press offences.


Page 217 Robespierre

"Whoever seeks to debase, divide or paralyse the Convention is an enemy of our country."

There was a rite of purification of virtue that became more pronounced under the ascendancy of Robespierre.

Page 271 Robespierre

"Terror is nothing but prompt, severe, inflexible justice; it is therefore an emanation of virtue."

Page 224 Saint-Just

"There is no prosperity to hope for as long as the last enemy of liberty breathes. You have to punish not only the traitor, but even those that are indifferent; you have to punish whoever is passive in the republic, and who does nothing for it… all that is outside the sovereign is the enemy."

There was a purging of those who did not meet the credentials. Entire families would be victimized.

Page 256 Danton

"which devoured them, which will devour everyone, which will devour itself."

This pattern has been repeated throughout history, and captured brilliantly in the two books of George Orwell - "Animal Farm" and "1984".

The attempted invasions of France by German and Austrian forces aided by French emigres and the subsidizing by England of monarchist intriguers within France just fueled the Revolution's paranoia.

The French Revolution self-destructed in 1994 when Robespierre and his cohorts were led to the guillotine.

This book tended to swamp one with details and names so the reading became somewhat tedious at times. Other times it was exhilarating with passages on the continual transitions and reverberations caused by the events within Paris and France that continue to influence us to this day.

I don't know how true this is, but when Georges Danton was brought to the guillotine in 1794, he said "Don't forget to show my head to the people; it's worth seeing." (page 276)