Who Was Georges Danton?

Georges Danton was a French Revolutionary who enjoyed a varied but contradictory and not well-understood career. He was a man who stood with first the Girondists but then later the Montagnards. He was a moderate who deplored the Revolution's excesses, but was not shy about using mob violence, was an alleged author of the September Massacres and was instrumental in creating the Committee of Public Safety.

Time Frame

Georges Danton was born on October 26, 1759, and died on April 5, 1794. He was a prominent figure in the Jacobin Club and the French Revolution, particularly from mid-1792 to the time of his death.

History

Danton came from northeastern France, and at the time of the Revolution was a lawyer in Paris. He was present at the storming of the Bastille, and in the early days of the Revolution served as commander of his district's battalion of the National Guard, as well as an elected administrator for Paris.
Georges Danton rose to power following the Parisian revolt of August 10, 1792, against the monarchy and Legislative Assembly. His place in the revolt remains unclear, although some claimed he led it personally. However, whatever he was doing, it was enough to secure him the post of Minister of Justice in the new government. At this time, Danton was allied with the Girondist movement. That alliance, however, proved brief. He was accused of giving the orders for the September Massacres, but this has never been proven and the allegations remain weak.
When the National Convention formed, he resigned his cabinet office to take a seat there. He soon left the Girondists, who were increasingly outflanked by the Montagnards, or "Mountain Men," so named for the seats they took at the top of the Convention's benches. This is where he met Jean Paul Marat and Maximilien Robespierre, neither of whom he cared for, although he shared many short-term goals with them: namely harnessing the radicalized Paris mob to create a republic and push for radical reforms.
His role in the late May/early June 1793 coup that resulted in the arrests of more than 30 leading Girondists is not known, although he certainly sympathized with it. Although he was suspicious of the attitudes and policies of the Reign of Terror, describing it as a "double-edge sword," he was instrumental in creating the near-dictatorial Committee of Public Safety that ordered all of the Terror's atrocities. He did this to tame the many dangers facing France at that time, so as to quickly right the ship of state. Danton, now in the position of counseling moderation and clemency in an atmosphere of radicalism and paranoid judicial murder, soon found himself a target. He was ordered arrested on March 30, 1794. The Convention and Robespierre, fearful that Danton would sway the mob to his side if he was allowed the platform of a prolonged public trial, had him quickly executed.

Effects

The execution of Danton and his closest followers was the greatest blunder of Robespierre's career. Although Danton was not the dogmatist and fanatic that Robespierre was, the two men shared many of the same goals. Danton's death cost Robespierre his only possible remaining public ally. Although Robespierre was virtual dictator for a short time, when the tide of public feeling turned against him, he had no allies to support him. Robespierre followed Danton to the guillotine only 3 months after Danton's execution.

Significance

Danton's significance in the French Revolution is hard to determine. Although he was clearly a prominent figure, just how prominent is a subject of debate. For example, was he really at the head of the various insurrections and other events that are sometimes attributed to him? If he were at the helm of everything he has been alleged to have led, he would arguably be one of the most important of the French Revolutionaries.
Perhaps the most significant part of Danton's legacy is what might have been: if Robespierre had stood beside Danton, instead of colluding in his execution, then Robespierre himself might have survived. A government of more moderate Montagnards, with Danton and Robespierre at its head, could possibly have stabilized France, preserved the Revolution, and thus never have opened the door to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Considerations

Historical views on Danton vary wildly but are usually connected with how the authors feel about the Montagnards, the Terror and Robespierre in particular. Robespierre's apologists are usually not very kind to Danton and regard him as corrupt, immoral, ambitious and violent. Robespierre's opponents and others regard him as an admirable figure, although one who stood by and foolishly waited while his enemies closed in around him.