Terror: The French Revolution and Its Demons

by Michel Biard, Marisa Linton, Timothy Tackett (Foreword)

At the heart of how history sees the French Revolution lies the enigma of the Terror. How did this archetypal revolution, founded on the principles of liberty and equality and the promotion of human rights, arrive at circumstances where it carried out the violent and terrible repression of its opponents? The guillotine, initially designed to be a ‘humane’ form of capital punishment, became a formidable instrument of political repression and left a deep imprint, not only on how we see the Revolution, but also on how France’s image has been depicted in the world. This book reconstructs the Terror in all its complexity. It shows that the popular view of a so-called ‘system of terror’ was retrospectively invented by the group of revolutionaries who overthrew Robespierre, as a way of trying to exonerate themselves from culpability. What we think of as ‘the Terror’ is best understood as an improvised and sometimes chaotic response to events, based on the urgent needs of a revolutionary government confronted by a succession of political and military crises. It was a government of ‘exception’ – a crisis government. Terror brings together a wealth of factual elements, along with recent thinking on the ideological, emotional and tactical dimensions of revolutionary politics, to throw new light on how the phenomenon of terror came to demonise the image and memory of the French Revolution.  It will be essential reading for students and scholars of the French Revolution and for anyone concerned with the ways in which political conflict can descend into violence.

Genres: French Revolution, History, Nonfiction, France, European History

241 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2022

About the author

Michel Biard est un historien français, dont les travaux portent principalement sur la Révolution française.

Agrégé d’histoire, il est docteur de l’université Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne, où il a soutenu en 1993 une thèse sous la direction du professeur Michel Vovelle.

Après avoir été pendant dix ans maître de conférences en histoire moderne à Paris-I, il est depuis 2004 professeur d’histoire du monde moderne et de la Révolution française à l’université de Rouen, dont il dirige le département d'histoire depuis le 27 avril 2010.

Les 15 et 16 octobre 2011, il a présidé le colloque interrégional des Amis du Perche, intitulé La Révolution au Perche, 1789-1799 : rupture ou continuité ?

Reviews

[Bas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 stars

This was an excellent and scholary discussion about the ' Reign of Terror' in the French Revolution. It's nuanced and tries ( and succeeds) to understand the period on it's own terms. While it never looses sight of the human cost, the authors have little patience for those who see the Terror as the precursor of 20th century Totalitarianisms. The most insightful parts of the book were the parts where the authors traced the history of the concept 'Terror' in the political discourse pre 1789 and the role of emotions ( fear, paranoia, patriottism, love,...) on the actions of the protagonists of the 'Reign of Terror'. I personally would have preferred it to be a bit longer sometimes but it's a good starting point with a lot of further reading recommendations.

[alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

that feeling when you find the perfect book to reference for your essay... 🤤 after i wrote it i just had to read the whole book and it's really good. everything is well explained, the chapters flow, and each chapter is split into subsections that make it really easy and digestible to read + good for referencing. chapter 3 was my favourite for focusing on how emotions and fear influenced the convention and how they could justify terror as a virtuous action, like ... that shit was Good. I LOVE U MARISA LINTON AND MICHEL BIARD <3 also i cant wait to read linton's choosing terror because of how great the chapter on politicians' terror was in this book.

[Richard Wickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read for anyone interested in the subject. Or indeed, anyone who talks shit about Robespierre &/or the French Revolution.

[WuyaNoodle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially good for clarifying public misunderstandings.