To what extent do you agree with Saint-Just's comment - "The Republic (1st Republic of France 1792-95) consists of the extermination of everything that opposes it"?
To What Extent Do You Agree With Saint-Just’s Comment: “The Republic (1st Republic of France 1792-95) Consists of the Extermination of Everything That Opposes It”?
A revolution in which power was passed through many different classes of people would most definitely be the French Revolution. Many different leaders with contrasting political opinions controlled France for certain amounts of time, however, the most extreme leader was Robespierre, supported by Saint-Just. The Jacobins, under Robespierre, believed that terror was the only way to implement their political ideas on others, and Saint-Just concurred with this belief, stating that the Republic consisted of the extermination of its opposition. Even though the Republic had other objectives, it did consist, to a certain extent, of the extermination of everything that opposed it.
The results of public revolt showed that the Republic consisted of the extermination of everything that opposed it, as these revolts only occurred because of the constant fear of extermination. Robespierre was a man who was determined to enforce his ideas at all costs. He believed that terror was needed to inspire virtue, and this brought about the Reign of Terror from 1793 to 1794. Any person who opposed Robespierre’s will was quickly guillotined, and over 2500 victims varying from royalists to Girondins were executed in the first sixteen months (Richards, 1977, 33). Robespierre became so fervent about his political ideals for France that he began to order mass executions not just for Girondins and royalists, but for Dantonists and Hébertists as well. He stepped up the terror by the use of the Law of 22 Prairial on June 10, 1794, which allowed for only one punishment for all crimes (Richards, 1977, 35). This punishment was death. People were executed for crimes such as bad moral character, and these mass executions initiated public revolt against Robespierre. Fifty four people were guillotined for conspiracy to kill Robespierre, and this result of the public revolt greatly demonstrated that the Republic consisted only of the extermination of all that opposed it (Haskins, 1971, 80). Many leaders began to fear that they would be guillotined next, and eventually, Robespierre was overthrown and guillotined. The revolts against Robespierre occurred only because of his executions of anyone who opposed his political views. Thus, one can easily see that the Republic consisted of the extermination of all that opposed it.
