The Reign Of Terror

Prior to 1789, France was in a calamitous state of conditions. King Louis XVI's government was facing financial predicaments, and therefore decided to impose taxes on the people. What ensued was an eruption of rage in the French middle and lower class that had been built up over the last hundred years. This sparked a transient but dramatic change in the entire political and cultural system of France. Many French citizens saw the Americans as an example and modeled their Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen after the American Declaration of Independence. The French Revolution was such an important event in world history due to the people's response to the government's paltry services, the Reign of Terror that ensued on account of

After the execution of the king, the entire country became a center of unorganized frenzy. France was waging war with many surrounding European countries. The National Convention created the Committee of Public Safety, led by Maximilien Robespierre, the leader of the Jacobin club. The committee tried to de-Christianize France, and created a completely new calendar. These series of events led the country into the Reign of Terror. During the Reign of Terror, radical journalist Jean-Paul Marat exposed possible enemies of the revolution that were then executed by the infamous guillotine. Everyone was under constant surveillance and were scared of the consequences of doubting the revolution or its leaders. Over sixteen thousand people in all classes were executed during this period. Although, in 1794, Robespierre’s radical viewpoints sent him and his followers to the guillotine. The repercussions of the revolution seriously questioned the ability of an egalitarian government to control itself. Their idea of a democratic government could only be fulfilled if all threats were suspended, and that is what Robespierre and his people were

Before 1789, Europe was a medley of alliances and colonies established on power and ruled by absolute monarchs. Inspired by democratic ideals after the French Revolution, Europe’s intellectuals grouped together to create a progressive format of living. Nation-states allowed for all those who demanded equality to be represented in their government’s decisions. This became a major threat to absolute rulers, who now have to change their ideals in order to stray away from violent attacks such as France. France’s impact on the rest of Europe was very important because it spread the ideas of democracy and equality to countries that dealt with their own