Montagnards: Post French Revolution

For the majority of its history France has been a country of bloodshed and political indecisiveness. Following countless wars with England and Spain, France continued to fight against tyranny in other countries. However, after years of living under the oppressive rule of the higher classes, the peasants of France rose up to overthrow this unjust system. However, the overthrowing of the existing monarchy led to dark times, namely the reign of terror. During this time, countless innocent citizens were thrown in prison or beheaded without an afterthought. Following the reign of terror was a time of political upheaval, represented by the countless coup d’etats that took place at the hands of attempted dictators. The source of this political disarray
Nearly nothing the Montagnards accomplished during their rule aided the rebuilding of post revolution era France. After the loss of a centuries old government, the creation of a stable new system that could follow the wills of the people whilst keeping the country in check was imperative. However, the government that followed could hardly be described as such. Rather than fixing the legitimate issues that followed the destruction of the monarchy, the Montagnards fixated on lesser issues with a great intensity. Specifically, they penalized innocent individuals. They went after These punishments ranged from prolonged imprisonment sans trial to guillotining. Yet, the Montagnards were sure of their methods.This mindset is evident in a speech made by Maximilien Robespierre, who said, “Under a constitutional government little more is required than to protect the individual against abuses by the state, whereas revolutionary government is obliged to defend the state itself against the factions that assail it from every quarter.” Robespierre’s speech details the core ideas of the post revolution government. The main motivations of the revolution were the infringement of the people’s rights, the people desired a government that would act for them. In contrast, Robespierre claims that a government that doesn’t necessarily “protect the individual against abuses by the state” is the one the people require at this time. Furthermore, he believed that it was a revolutionary government’s duty to protect the state from outside forces. However, many of these outside forces that could potentially threaten the state were instigated by the French