Violence and Discontent: Catalysts of the French Revolution

The declaration of the Terror was a direct result of the growing discontent and ravenous violence that had been occurring since 1789. Revolution could have occurred in an orderly member as it was obvious that Louis XVI was a weak leader but the French citizens set the tone early on with the Storming of the Bastille. This event shows that the French were inclined to achieve their desires through violence and not negotiations. The Bastille was attacked as a response to Louis’ addition of troops in Paris and the fear that they would be attacked. Munitions were transferred to the poorly guarded Bastille just a few days before the attack. A mob descended upon the Bastille on July 14 of 1789. The Governor of the prison Launay tried to reassure that

It is tough to pin the Sans-Culottes as they are humongous group that represented the common people, but it is apparent that many if not most of the deaths that resulted were from the frequent arrests and accusations made by the Sans-Culottes. The Sans-Culottes started off with good intentions. They were described as hard working and loyal. Their main demands were not excessive. They desired caps on bread prices, laws against hoarders, and a levée en masse. As Colin Jones stated though the French Revolution and Terror was the shocking result of people with good intentions becoming bad. “What was both terrifying and sobering about the Terror of 1793-4 was the aura of randomness which hovered over the violence it visited out – even when it was being conducted by individuals of impeccable Latinate education and high moral principle.” Although the education of the sans-culotte was by no means the best, they prided themselves and their morals and considered themselves the opposites of the crooked and corrupt politicians. Slowly but surely the Sans-culottes became the tool that these politicians used to claim