In every political set up, the rulers try with all means possible to maintain their rule over their subjects. Terror is a weapon of the mind which uses the power of fear to psychologically control the ruled. This is carried out as a cautionary measure when the leadership feels it is at a risk of losing its leadership to other forces. Organized terror orchestrated by the government of the day like the one that was carried out at the times of French Revolution is aimed at making the subjects obedient. By doing so, the administration extinguishes any intentions of revolting against the leadership regardless of the implications imposed to them by the leadership. As it was said by Machiavelli, terror is the only instrument of a tyrannical ruler and a supreme instrument in the lead of simpler souls, or those who are nervous and is always intended to enslave the victims.
The organizers of French Revolution not only did they justify the need of using terror as a weapon in their administration but went ahead to fully employ this weapon to its full-length in asserting political supremacy over the French citizens. This is as evidenced by the occurrences during this period from the formation of revolutionary army to its operations.
The birth of revolutionary army
During a convection which was held on the fifth day of September 1793, French leadership was facing a dilemma on how to provide basic need of food that was biting hard on its hungry citizens. It was observed that, despite the house passing noble and wise laws that promised a good time for the citizens, there was a constant lack of power to enforce these laws. The fear of such noble laws becoming obsolete almost at birth created the need to a formidable power. The intention to criminalize the acts that denied the public supply of basic properties was seen as a moral just.
The state had earlier on made a promise though its laws to promote a happy nation that has no lack of what the citizens needed. Those who were denying the citizens the access of these basic supplies were seen as public enemies and traitors of national good. It was in this view that a thought of trimming the courage of these enemies of state progress was conceived. The participants of this convection spoke of changing metal into weapons capable of felling these enemies of the state. The most agonizing fact on the minds of the conveners of this convection was that, these enemies were in constant talk about liberty yet they were heinous in their acts for a personal gain. They henceforth set to create a force that would not yield to conspiracy and corruption from these traitors but instead would transform into a killer machine by commuting death sentence upon those who were at that time leading the nation to starvation.
Prior to this meeting, general community of France had met and resolved on three pressing issues which they needed them addressed by their leadership. Firstly was the urgency need of food. Secondly was the ways by which to get that food and finally was the need to strengthen the law. To meet this end, the conveners felt the need to form a revolutionary army which would have no guilt through plotting and instilling fear by infiltrating itself through the all arms of government. The membership of the revolution was enticed trough allowances for attendance and the standards followed a threatening order of ensuring peace to men of good will while on the other hand proclaiming war on those who would starve people. It also promised to protect the weak and wage war on tyrants to ensure a just society devoid of oppression. The country was not at war with her neighbors yet there was a decree to manufacture weapons (guns) for each citizen. These are the same weapons that were used to kill many lives on the later stages of revolution.
In his speech on 5th of February 1794, Robespierre supported the actions of revolution agents by justifying the use of terror to enlarge and control the subjects of his leadership. He emphasized on the need to employ virtue and terror to keep his republic away from any or otherwise subversive influence from the enemies within and beyond its borders. The execution of the law of suspects saw the transformation of justice system into an extended arm of revolution movement. The holding up of all individuals suspected of being critics of liberty brought about a lot of fear among the citizens. This was targeting all individuals who were by nature of their associations were not members of this movement. It was a fancy act for the revolutionaries to terrorize any population under their capture. This is what happened after their capture of Prouse. Despite their surrender to the revolutionary army, they were all made to perish. About three hundred citizens were had their throats slit while the rest war chased and killed by the power of the sword wiping away a whole city out of the surface of the earth.
The revolutionaries continued to extend their terror among their subjects by making it a crime to involve themselves in a number of issues. For example, it was a crime for any captured town or a city to raise a monument of any persona executed by arms of revolution. If a person was found having a portrait of his or her family members like descendants it was termed as a crime. There was a search for any reason to pass a punishment. For example, if one complained about unfortunate times, he deserved punishment as that was taken as a role of a government. There was even an instance where a mother was punished for crying over the fateful death of her son. Under the revolutionary rule, one was supposed to portray joy even at death failure to which one would be exposed to danger of prosecution. People were even cautious of being afraid as the mere act of portraying fear made them guilty of an abominable crime. During this period, a number of people were captured for any imaginary crime, whipped and at times sentenced to hard labor in the mines. Public executions were used as an act of inducing fear and forcing people to comply with the rules of the revolution some were even punished by having their bodies cut into a half.
Other actions led to suspicion and hence warranted ones conviction of committing a crime. Popularity of a person made him a rival of the prince. One was supposed to indulge in activities that would not make him or her noticeable. Wealth was despised as it was seen as it would lead to generosity and hence corrupting other people. Poverty was also seen as a cause to worry as it could lead to one becoming enterprising which was not allowed under the rule of revolution. Any physical sign of soberness would lead to suspicion even the army officers who made for themselves a name during the war were seen as a threat and were supposed to be gotten rid of.
In his support for virtue of morality and terror, Robespierre called for a complete change over of the way the state was run. In his view, there was a need in the land under French revolution to substitute ethics for selfishness, truthfulness for official codes of honor. He inspired his followers to embrace principles for ways of life and a sense of responsibility for a single sense of greediness. He also called for a change to a leadership of reason from that of oppression, despising of vice from despise of scarcity of luck, upholding glory instead of greed for money. He also inspired people by making them believe that the revolution would substi5tute good point in place of intrigue, intelligence for wittiness. He was also quick to note that, the leadership needed a system that would ensure among other things happiness and replace all the bad tidings that were as a result of a tyrannical leadership. In his opposition to democracy he asserted that, democracy could only work after they have succeeded in winning the war of liberty against tyranny and without any barrier go past the waves of revolution. He viewed the revolution as the only successful tool that would help plan for an organized government which is blended with broad-spectrum doctrines of democracy.
Summary
In summary the aim of terror in the eyes of the revolution organizers was aimed at protecting the leadership from any negative sentiments. No matter how brutal and dehumanizing it looked like, it helped to keep away the enemies within the allies and those without. The terror succeeded in a large extent to cool the flames of political counterrevolution by succeeding in far extent killing all forms of moral justice which would have otherwise formed the ground for moral counterrevolution.
The organizers of French Revolution not only did they justify the need of using terror as a weapon in their administration but went ahead to fully employ this weapon to its full-length in asserting political supremacy over the French citizens. This is as evidenced by the occurrences during this period from the formation of revolutionary army to its operations.
The birth of revolutionary army
During a convection which was held on the fifth day of September 1793, French leadership was facing a dilemma on how to provide basic need of food that was biting hard on its hungry citizens. It was observed that, despite the house passing noble and wise laws that promised a good time for the citizens, there was a constant lack of power to enforce these laws. The fear of such noble laws becoming obsolete almost at birth created the need to a formidable power. The intention to criminalize the acts that denied the public supply of basic properties was seen as a moral just.
The state had earlier on made a promise though its laws to promote a happy nation that has no lack of what the citizens needed. Those who were denying the citizens the access of these basic supplies were seen as public enemies and traitors of national good. It was in this view that a thought of trimming the courage of these enemies of state progress was conceived. The participants of this convection spoke of changing metal into weapons capable of felling these enemies of the state. The most agonizing fact on the minds of the conveners of this convection was that, these enemies were in constant talk about liberty yet they were heinous in their acts for a personal gain. They henceforth set to create a force that would not yield to conspiracy and corruption from these traitors but instead would transform into a killer machine by commuting death sentence upon those who were at that time leading the nation to starvation.
Prior to this meeting, general community of France had met and resolved on three pressing issues which they needed them addressed by their leadership. Firstly was the urgency need of food. Secondly was the ways by which to get that food and finally was the need to strengthen the law. To meet this end, the conveners felt the need to form a revolutionary army which would have no guilt through plotting and instilling fear by infiltrating itself through the all arms of government. The membership of the revolution was enticed trough allowances for attendance and the standards followed a threatening order of ensuring peace to men of good will while on the other hand proclaiming war on those who would starve people. It also promised to protect the weak and wage war on tyrants to ensure a just society devoid of oppression. The country was not at war with her neighbors yet there was a decree to manufacture weapons (guns) for each citizen. These are the same weapons that were used to kill many lives on the later stages of revolution.
In his speech on 5th of February 1794, Robespierre supported the actions of revolution agents by justifying the use of terror to enlarge and control the subjects of his leadership. He emphasized on the need to employ virtue and terror to keep his republic away from any or otherwise subversive influence from the enemies within and beyond its borders. The execution of the law of suspects saw the transformation of justice system into an extended arm of revolution movement. The holding up of all individuals suspected of being critics of liberty brought about a lot of fear among the citizens. This was targeting all individuals who were by nature of their associations were not members of this movement. It was a fancy act for the revolutionaries to terrorize any population under their capture. This is what happened after their capture of Prouse. Despite their surrender to the revolutionary army, they were all made to perish. About three hundred citizens were had their throats slit while the rest war chased and killed by the power of the sword wiping away a whole city out of the surface of the earth.
The revolutionaries continued to extend their terror among their subjects by making it a crime to involve themselves in a number of issues. For example, it was a crime for any captured town or a city to raise a monument of any persona executed by arms of revolution. If a person was found having a portrait of his or her family members like descendants it was termed as a crime. There was a search for any reason to pass a punishment. For example, if one complained about unfortunate times, he deserved punishment as that was taken as a role of a government. There was even an instance where a mother was punished for crying over the fateful death of her son. Under the revolutionary rule, one was supposed to portray joy even at death failure to which one would be exposed to danger of prosecution. People were even cautious of being afraid as the mere act of portraying fear made them guilty of an abominable crime. During this period, a number of people were captured for any imaginary crime, whipped and at times sentenced to hard labor in the mines. Public executions were used as an act of inducing fear and forcing people to comply with the rules of the revolution some were even punished by having their bodies cut into a half.
Other actions led to suspicion and hence warranted ones conviction of committing a crime. Popularity of a person made him a rival of the prince. One was supposed to indulge in activities that would not make him or her noticeable. Wealth was despised as it was seen as it would lead to generosity and hence corrupting other people. Poverty was also seen as a cause to worry as it could lead to one becoming enterprising which was not allowed under the rule of revolution. Any physical sign of soberness would lead to suspicion even the army officers who made for themselves a name during the war were seen as a threat and were supposed to be gotten rid of.
In his support for virtue of morality and terror, Robespierre called for a complete change over of the way the state was run. In his view, there was a need in the land under French revolution to substitute ethics for selfishness, truthfulness for official codes of honor. He inspired his followers to embrace principles for ways of life and a sense of responsibility for a single sense of greediness. He also called for a change to a leadership of reason from that of oppression, despising of vice from despise of scarcity of luck, upholding glory instead of greed for money. He also inspired people by making them believe that the revolution would substi5tute good point in place of intrigue, intelligence for wittiness. He was also quick to note that, the leadership needed a system that would ensure among other things happiness and replace all the bad tidings that were as a result of a tyrannical leadership. In his opposition to democracy he asserted that, democracy could only work after they have succeeded in winning the war of liberty against tyranny and without any barrier go past the waves of revolution. He viewed the revolution as the only successful tool that would help plan for an organized government which is blended with broad-spectrum doctrines of democracy.
Summary
In summary the aim of terror in the eyes of the revolution organizers was aimed at protecting the leadership from any negative sentiments. No matter how brutal and dehumanizing it looked like, it helped to keep away the enemies within the allies and those without. The terror succeeded in a large extent to cool the flames of political counterrevolution by succeeding in far extent killing all forms of moral justice which would have otherwise formed the ground for moral counterrevolution.
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