Origins of the Jacobins During the French Revolution

The Jacobins were formed during the early days of the French Revolution and grew in strength in a few short years. Going through many radical changes, they established a manifesto and rules of order by which they would govern their organization. The Jacobin Club became one of the most widespread and powerful groups in all of France. Under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, they eventually wrestling power from their rival Girondists in the National Convention and launched the Reign of Terror.

History

The Club Benthorn formed in Versailles during the Estates-General of 1789 comprised of deputies from the Breton region of France. After the March on Versailles by 7,000 women in October, the group moved their operation to Paris. Renting part of the monastery of Rue St. Honore, the Club joined the National Constituent Assembly and began to expand its membership.
By February of 1790, the manifesto of the Club was written and it officially adopted the name Jacobin. With the leadership established, a network of branches sprung up around the country. Thousands of citizens joined the Jacobins, making the Club one of the strongest political organizations in the nation.
On June 2, 1793, the Jacobins secured control of the National Convention through the removal of the Girondins, a rival faction. Maximilien Robespierre took control of the Club and the Committee of Public Safety, creating strong executive control for the Jacobins. The Reign of Terror was launched on September 5 and lasted until the execution of Robespierre and many other Jacobins the following year during the Thermidorian Reaction.

Function

The Jacobin Club was a well established and powerful organization for its time period. Antoine Barnave wrote the rules of order, and a constitution for the Club was adopted with the express interest in influencing the National Assembly, establishing the Rights of Man, and to work with other political bodies to preserve the Revolution.
The Club had a president that was elected every month, along with four secretaries and a treasurer. They also divided up into committees with which to better handle issues of importance to their causes.
By creating a network of branches with a membership height of 420,000, the Jacobins were able to institute great political and social control over the policies and events of this era of the French Revolution. They would mobilize veritable armies of members in Paris to intimidate opponents and stifle dissent. At the time, the Jacobins were the most powerful party in all of France.

Significance

Utilizing their power, the Jacobins control of the National Convention and the Committee of Public Safety created an outlet for their radical views. Having gone through a more moderate period in 1790 and 1791, the Jacobin Club under Robespierre of 1793 was left-wing and goal oriented. They pushed for public education, controls on food prices and a large army of conscripted men. The Club believed that the French Constitution should be suspended until peace had been achieved against foreign forces attempting to invade the country. In all, the Jacobins achieved their goals of ending the Ancien Regime of royalists and feudalism and preserved a future for the Revolution.

Types

The Jacobin Club was divided by different political philosophies that eventually caused the decline and ultimate destruction of the party.
The moderate portion made a minority of the membership and pushed for more reasonable views and non-violent revolutionary tactics. As the radical elements began to take shape, most moderates left the society in July 1791 to form the Feuillants Club. Antoine Barnave became a strong force for this faction, but upon revelations that he supported a constitutional monarchy, most Feuillants were forced from power, tried and executed.
The core of the Jacobins were the radical elements of the Club, led by Robespierre. Under his leadership, a push for a strong central government ultimately resulted in their takeover of the National Convention. Although they maintained a firm grip on power, conspiracies amongst other factions and from within led to Robespierre's removal from power and eventual execution.
During the Jacobin reign, the Mountain was the prime political power. It was an organization whose members were called Montagnards and they held the highest offices in the Convention. It was controlled by various entities at different times, but during the Reign of Terror was effectively synonymous with the Jacobins.

Considerations

There were many political factions during the French Revolution The Jacobins most easily aligned themselves against the Girondists. The Girondists were originally a force in establishing the Revolution, but in seeing the chaos that was being created from their actions, they became somewhat more conservative. This opened the door for the Jacobins to take the reigns of power. In 1793, they were removed from power and 21 members were guillotined. The Jacobins consolidated their strength in the Convention and set about to make radical changes the Girondists were unable to implement.

Resources

• Jacobin Club