How Revolutionaries Consolidated their Political Power in...

Evaluate the view that revolutionaries consolidated power: Introduction Following the French Revolution, the National Convention and Robespierre as the head of the Committee of Public Safety, employed drastic measures to achieve their goals, however managed to successfully consolidate power as demonstrated by the overall success of the revolution. Whilst the revolution itself was a momentous undertaking, nothing was quite as dramatic as the execution of King Louis XVI that was orchestrated by the National Convention. â€Å"The king must die so that the country can live.† This ushered in a new era in France’s history and meant the revolutionaries would have to work hard to secure power given the hostile reaction to the execution by both†¦show more content†¦Rising pressure from foreign influences due to the French revolutionary wars also pushed the revolutionaries to extremes. The ‘Terror’ was responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and was justified by Robespierre as a necessary evil. â€Å"Terror is only justice : prompt, severe and inflexible.† The Terror was not only testament to the radical approach of the revolutionaries, but demonstrates the extent to which they dominated their political opponents. This is evident by Robespierre’s treatment of the Girondists who were originally in favour of the abolition of the monarchy, but resisted the momentum of the revolution. Given the conflict of interest with the Jacobins who were also led by Robespierre they were denounced as traitors. The Girondist leaders faced the dreaded revolutionary tribunal. Unsurprisingly the trial was short, with the verdict a foregone conclusion. Naturally they all lost their heads to the guillotine, which became known as the ‘National Razor’ and was a symbol of the revolutionary cause fuelled by the extreme number of executions. Evidently the revolutionaries, specifically Robespierre, lacked patience for political opposition and had a unique way of dealing with their opponents. This method of public denouncement and execution following trial by a tribunal that was under the influence of Robespierre instilled fear into the people and possible opponents. Public fear of opposing the revolution meant the growth of revolutionaryShow MoreRelated Napoleon Betrayed the Revolution Essay1320 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Revolution In order to investigate the claim that ‘Napoleon betrayed the revolution’, it has to be determined what is the French revolution? And what are the revolutionary ideals that Napoleon allegedly betrayed? If Napoleon betrayed the Revolution then he betrayed the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. However if Napoleon did not betray the revolution, he consolidated the revolutionary ideals. 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