Paris, France: Place de la Concorde (Place de la Révolution) - Reign of Terror

The Place de la Concorde is a public square in Paris, France. During the French Revolution, the square was renamed Place de la Révolution, and executions by guillotine were performed there, including the executions of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. In 1795, the name Place de la Révolution was changed back to its original Place de la Concorde in an attempt at reconciliation after the violence of the French Revolution. "The guillotine, particularly the one in Paris’s Place de la Révolution, served as the bloody emblem of the fear tactics that began to manifest themselves." (Piccitto) The Place de la Concorde is also known as the Place de la Révolution. 

The Reign of Terror was an extremely violent period during the French Revolution. It began shortly after the French Revolution began. The Reign of Terror started on 5 September 1793 and ended on 28 July 1794. Some historians believe that the Reign of Terror started in March or June when the Revolutionary Tribunal was created. Some historians believe the beginning of the Reign of Terror was even earlier when the September Massacres occurred in 1792. Others believe the beginning of the Reign of Terror to be on July 1789, when the first killing of the revolution happened. Maximilien Robespierre was the man in leadership during the Reign of Terror. The fall and death of Maximilien Robespierre marked the end of the Reign of Terror. What's intriguing, and probably its own form of karmic justice is that Maximilien Robespierre was executed on the same guillotine that was located in the Place de la Concorde, where the people he was responsible for executing were put to death too. 

By analyzing the effects of the French Revolution, one can conclude that Romanticism emerged as a response to the French Revolution. Instead of digging for the laws of nature and the logical side of humans, Romantics tried to have direct contact with nature. The French Revolution directly influenced Romantic artists and writers. The French Revolution and the Reign of Terror resulted in a fundamental change in society's function and ideals. Many Romantics accepted and approved of the French Revolution, often writing works expressing this perspective. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley all shared this perspective and point of view. They all believed that the French Revolution marked a highly transformative experience, as it changed the ways of society and helped the oppressed. The French Revolution altered the lives of all French citizens. It had even impacted many other existing outside of France in the European continent, as it caused other countries to consider social reform, which greatly influenced literature and artwork. For instance, Lord Byron's poem "Darkness" was heavily influenced and inspired by the effects of war, and more specifically the French Revolution.

"On 5 September 1793, the National Convention, France’s ruling body from 1793 to 1795, officially put into effect terror measures in order to subdue opposition to and punish insufficient support for the revolution and the new regime. From the autumn of 1793 until the summer of 1794, thousands of people across the country were imprisoned and executed (including the Queen) under the ruthless leadership of Maximilien Robespierre. The guillotine, particularly the one in Paris’s Place de la Révolution, served as the bloody emblem of the fear tactics that began to manifest themselves first in the formation of the Committee of Public Safety (6 April 1793) and subsequently in the implementation of the Law of Suspects (17 September 1793). The Terror ended on 27 July 1794 with the overthrow of Robespierre, who was guillotined the next day." (Piccitto)

 

Sources:

Diane Piccitto, "On 1793 and the Aftermath of the French Revolution"

“Paris. (By Express on Saturday Evening.)'.” British Libraryhttps://www.bl.uk/collection-items/newspaper-account-of-the-outbreak-of-....

“Reign of Terror.” BRANCHhttps://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_event=reign-of-terror.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Paul-François-Jean-Nicolas, Vicomte De Barras.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Francois-Jean-Nicolas-vicomte-....

Coordinates

Latitude: 48.865633100000
Longitude: 2.321235700000

Timeline of Events Associated with Paris, France: Place de la Concorde (Place de la Révolution) - Reign of Terror

Date Event Manage
5 May 1789 to 10 Nov 1799

French Revolution

Representation of the Declaration of the Rights of ManThe French Revolution occurred from 5 May 1789 to 9-10 November 1799. Image: Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier, Representation of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 26 August 1789 (c. 1789). This work is in the public domain in the United States.

On 5 May 1789, the Estates-General, representing the nobility, the clergy, and the common people, held a meeting at the request of the King to address France’s financial difficulties. At this meeting, the Third Estate (the commoners) protested the merely symbolic double representation that they had been granted by the King. This protest resulted in a fracture among the three estates and precipitated the French Revolution. On 17 June, members of the Third Estate designated themselves the National Assembly and claimed to represent the people of the nation, thus preparing the way for the foundation of the republic. Several pivotal events followed in quick succession: the storming of the Bastille (14 July), the approval of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (26 August), and the march on Versailles that led to the enforced relocation of the royal family to Paris (5-6 October). These revolutionary acts fired the imagination of many regarding the political future of France, and, indeed, all of Europe. The republican period of the revolution continued in various phases until 9-10 November 1799 when Napoleon Bonaparte supplanted the government.

Articles

Diane Piccitto, "On 1793 and the Aftermath of the French Revolution"

21 Jan 1793

Execution of King Louis XVI

On January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI of France was executed. Image: Isidore-Stanislas Helman, The Death of King Louis (1794), Bibliothèque nationale de France. This work is in the public domain in the United States.

1793 was a key juncture in the revolution, beginning with this execution on 21 January. The increasing violence prompted Britain to cut its ties to France, leading to declarations of war by the two countries. Violence peaked during the Reign of Terror (5 September 1793 – 27 July 1794), which resulted in the execution of the Queen (16 October) as well as of many suspects of treason and members of the Girondins, the more moderate faction that the radical Jacobins brought down on 2 June 1793

Articles

Diane Piccitto, "On 1793 and the Aftermath of the French Revolution"

5 Sep 1793 to 27 Jul 1794

Reign of Terror

Portrait of RobespierreA period of violence that occurred a few years after the start of the French Revolution. Image: Anonymous, Portrait of Maximilien de Robespierre (c. 1790), Carnavalet Museum. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

On 5 September 1793, the National Convention, France’s ruling body from 1793 to 1795, officially put into effect terror measures in order to subdue opposition to and punish insufficient support for the revolution and the new regime. From the autumn of 1793 until the summer of 1794, thousands of people across the country were imprisoned and executed (including the Queen) under the ruthless leadership of Maximilien Robespierre. The guillotine, particularly the one in Paris’s Place de la Révolution, served as the bloody emblem of the fear tactics that began to manifest themselves first in the formation of the Committee of Public Safety (6 April 1793) and subsequently in the implementation of the Law of Suspects (17 September 1793). The Terror ended on 27 July 1794 with the overthrow of Robespierre, who was guillotined the next day.

Articles

Diane Piccitto, "On 1793 and the Aftermath of the French Revolution"

4 Mar 1848

Illustrated London News's "The French Revolution"

Masthead, Illustrated London NewsOn 4 March 1848, the Illustrated London News publishes a special commemorative double number (numbers 305 and 306, vol. 12), “The French Revolution.” Image: Masthead of the Illustrated London News. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”