Role Of Robespierre, The Guillotine, And Specific Events Associated With The Reign Of Terror

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Imagine, it is 1793, and the people of France are in a state of terror. King Louis XVI has just been executed, and Robespierre and the Jacobins have taken over the power in France, creating a Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror was a period fifteen months after the onset of the French Revolution when struggles between rival factions led to mutual radicalization. The country was divided between two radical political groups; the Girondins and the Jacobins. The Girondins believed in a democratic government with some power going to the citizens. The Jacobins were a more radical group, who believed that the country should be a democracy, that should have a council making laws, but the people should have a say. Those who opposed the Revolution were tried for treason and beheaded by the infamous guillotine. The peasants were rioting because of the rising price of grain, and the Nobles were fleeing for their lives. The Monarchy has lost total control of the country and rebels have taken control. During the Revolution, King Louis XVI was executed, Robespierre came into and out of power, and the guillotine beheaded between eighteen and forty thousand people. King Louis XVI became king of France on June 11th, 1775, at Reims. His Queen was Marie Antoinette of Austria, daughter of Francis I, Archduke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1775 until his execution in 1793. Throughout his reign as King, he bankrupted the country while aiding the Americans who were at war against the British during the American Revolution, causing a raise in taxes and the price of grain. The peasants started to riot. And on July 14th 1789, the peasants stormed the Bastille, starting the Revolution, and the downfall of the King and the monarchy in France. After that, Louis and his family were arrested, and were brought to Paris. The King had a trial, and was tried for treason. On January 21, 1793, King

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