The French Revolution: The Rise And Fall Of France's Radical Republic

The French Revolution led to the end of the monarchical system which had governed France and eventually the country was declared a Republic. After the execution of Louis XVI a debate ensued over how best to govern and stabilize the newly minted Republic. It was clear to the revolutionary leaders that creating a balance of power and enforcing the revolution’s principles of ‘liberty, fraternity and equality’ were pivotal to France’s reconstruction. Eventually, power was given to a twelve-member committee of Public Safety (CPS). The Committee of Public Safety, as it became known, constituted what historians call France’s Radical Republic. The policies initially set forth by the Radical Republic attempted to fulfill the principles of ‘liberty, fraternity and equality’ by ensuring that citizen rights were upheld and that those who were wealthy could not exploit the poor. However, over time many of those invested in the revolution such as Maximilien Robespierre believed that a period of state sanctioned terror was necessary to enact these policies/laws. In doing so, these men believed that striking fear and disposing of all those who did not completely support their revolutionary ideas would make it easier to realize their own vision of a new French Republic. The Manifesto of the Enrages was one of the first propositions to be brought forth and in this document there was a demand that there needed to be strict economic barriers and punishments imposed on the rich, hoarders and profiteers who take advantage of the poor. In his speech, Jacques Roux explains how the rich through monopolies, can control the life and death of fellow citizens. He further explains that the republic means nothing if three-quarters of the population cannot afford food. It is evident that Roux is trying to create equality among French citizens by having a more controlled economy, thus narrowing the hold that the wealthy have over the poor. He is reinforcing the idea that if all citizens are not liberated from the power of a small few then the new French Republic cannot unite all citizens and is no better than the atrocities that occurred under King Louis XVI. Although this manifesto set out to enforce revolutionary principles, there were decrees that were later passed to enforce harsh punishments on those who violated new laws and policies. In an effort to combat the shortage and high prices on food, the Decree against Profiteers was imposed. This decree set out a list of rules as to how to make use of essential commodities and while it attempts to stop the citizens of France from starving; it also imposes harsh punishments that fuel the period of terror. It is stated within the document that those who do not offer essential commodities for sale daily and publically or cause them to perish are declared monopolists which is punishable by death. The reason for such severe punishments is that the new leaders of the republic wanted to oust anyone taking advantage of the French people and they feared that without such strict regulations, the profiteers would continue to take advantage of their fellow citizens. Although its purpose was to create equality among citizens, declaring that sales need to be made daily and that food cannot perish infringes on the liberties of lawful merchants because they may not be able to take days off if necessary and are in a state of fear that if they do something wrong and food perishes they will be held accountable. After this, power of the sans-culottes continued to …show more content…
This law made it so that no merchant could sell certain materials above a specified price and if they did, they would be subject to a fine. It also put a wage cap on Frances citizens. These laws were meant to last until the end of 1994 and the reason for restricting the liberties of its citizens was to try and create more equality among them. If the gap between the rich and the poor was narrowed and all citizens had access to necessary materials then they would be more inclined to be supportive of the revolutionary cause. The plan for the leaders of the Republic was to grant citizens these liberties once its citizens became in their eyes, more