the reign of terror was a necessary evil discuss
The Reign of Terror was engineered by The National Convention government in response to what France was experiencing at that time. There was a potential revolt by the clergy and nobility in La Vendee who were unwilling to surrender their privileges. Abroad France was facing a difficulty war against almost every European country.
Robespierre himself justified the terror saying,"In order for us to establish and consolidate democracy, we must first annihiliate the enemy at home and abroad or else we shall perish." This may sound like propaganda but indeed the revolution was under seige. All the known enemies of the revolution were thwarted, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and many nobles.
It is also naive to exaggerate the effects of the terror yet we have worst holocuast scenarios for example Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe etc led to the death of thousands if not millions of people.
it was not necessary because it brought political instability in France which resulted in economic decline and loss of property. Industries were closed down hence jobless which created an atmospheric of violence.
The reign of terror was both a curse and a blessing.It was a curse in that it started to devour its own children as many innocent lives were lost through the law of suspects and other laws that were introduced by the convention during the reign of terror.it was a curse in that it crippled the business industry through the law of maximum but one must know that this law of maximum was also a blessing in that it managed to stablise prices of basic commodities such as grain.more details will be discussed as the essay unfolds.
Try this for info:
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/french-revolution-the-reign-terror.html