About the Jacobins & the French Revolution
Tampering with a nation's economy can produce deadly results. The legacy of the Jacobins proves this assertion to be true. The Jacobins rose to power during the French Revolution (1789 to 1799) as a conservative political faction that sprouted out of a reform movement in 1789. Initially, the Jacobins sought to institute mild reforms but eventually became violent in its opposition to its opponents. In 1794, the Jacobins were overthrown, after suffering criticism for imposing failed economic reform policies, such as imposing a maximum, a failed price-fixing strategy designed to control inflation.
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The Political Climate
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The Jacobins emerged in 1789 in a political climate filled with discontent. Once an exclusive club for members of the French elite, eventually the Jacobins positioned themselves as proponents for a representative constitution. They also aligned themselves with other parties that advocated similar views. Initially, the Jacobins were vanguards of reforms, such as separation of church and state and universal suffrage. However, their views rapidly became less conventional as political changes in France accelerated.
The Jacobins Rise
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When King Louis XVI was captured in 1791, the Jacobins and other political groups were charged with deciding his fate. These groups did not debate the king's guilt, but rather how he should be punished. Of these groups, the Jacobins emphatically declared that the king should be executed. Due to the king's unpopularity, the views of the Jacobins were favored by many Parisian deputies and by the public in general.
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The King Falls
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Less of a fallen figurehead, the king was perceived as a traitor against the French nation and was charged with crimes that he was given little opportunity to defend himself against. A majority of Parisian deputies, influenced by Jacobin views, asserted he had been complicit in "plots against the nation" and voted for his execution. On January 21, 1793, the king was beheaded beneath the guillotine after pleading that "the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France." Unfortunately, the Jacobins were not attentive to the king's plea.
Girondins Fall
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With the formation of the Committee of Public Safety in 1793, the Jacobins were able to enforce conservative values with the aid of the guillotine. The National Convention entrusted this Committee with the power to execute individuals who posed a threat to national interests. The Committee took advantage of this power, executing thousands of people over the span of mere months. Opponents to the Jacobins, including the moderate Girondins, were arrested and killed. This placed the Jacobins in a position of unprecedented power.
Robespierre Falls
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Since the initial purpose of the French Revolution was to dissolve the power of the monarchy and to disperse this power among chosen representatives of the nation, many people were offended by the fact that the Jacobins were beginning to monopolize power in a way not unlike the king had done. Robespierre, the de facto leader of the Jacobins, began to receive criticism for being too remote and practicing politics along the lines of a dictator. In the spirit of this violent revolution, his detractors eventually arrested him and ordered him to death. On July 28, 1794, he was killed, and the Jacobins lost power over the government.
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