Thesis: Governments during the French Revolution are often deemed ineffective due to the ignorance of the people's demands and the short-sightedness of their actions that often led to their demise.
Failure is not an option
Governments rise and fall, but their reigns are not as short as those in the French Revolution. What the world population had witnessed in this even is the fastest transition of governments in various forms, whether it would be the radicals or the indecisive moderates. In all forms of government preceding Napoleon's reign had significantly FAILED in their efforts of governance. The most explicite examples of such failures lie in the monarchy and Robespierre Committee of Public Safety.
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| A portrait of Marie Antoinette in her ridiculously extravagant clothing. Her spendings would increase France's deficit spendings, coining the title of "Madame Deficit" |
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| A British cartoon during the revolution, portraying the Jacobins and the radicals around a guillotine. The savagery of the characters and the scenery would be repulsive the viewers suggesting that this action must be stopped. |
The monarchy was utterly ineffective in managing the country. They would not give up their comforts to rescue the starving people in their country, and continued their extravagant lifestyles. The people in France were devastated by the winters, and most of the peasants now only survive by foraging for food, as the urban workers toil day and night to receive a wage that is not enough to buy even bread. The king, Louis XVI, was indecisive and others could manipulate him. For example, the nobles that were close to him were able to convince him to pass a law that reduced their taxes. This worsened the terrible condition the country was already in. The king did not act, and that in itself was a crime. By doing nothing, he let the social structure of the Ancien Regime abuse the third estate, which was 97% of the actual population. The heavy taxes fell upon the Bourgeoisie, the peasants and the urban artisans. While the middle class were able to survive, the peasants and laborers had to fight just to live. France was a nightmare, and it was all the monarch’s fault. King Louis also managed to anger the general populace more by being lenient with his wife, Marie Antoinette. She was free to do anything she wished. That meant that she spent her allowance on dresses, hair styling and gambling. As if that wasn’t enough, the king built her Le Petit Trianon. It was simply something that could not be forgiven. She was a foreigner, she spent money wastefully, and now the king had built her a miniature village with the money that could have been used to help the poor people. By now, the only people that would support the monarchy were the nobles and the high clergy. It was time that the people revolted against their king.
The Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety was a 12-man collective dictatorship. They were ruthless, headed by the “Incorruptible” Maximilien Robespierre.
The problems that this administration faced is simply to quell the rebellions in all regions of France. In such a time, all other issues of governance are disregarded due to the anarchy that had hampered the government’s effort in improving the people’s living conditions. It is safe to say that the Jacobins had failed in all agendas as a government, including its primary objective to restore order in the society. A madman, Robespierre utilized legislations, tailored to kill anyone in his path. Paradoxically, such killings caused even more violence as the ancient proverb states: “violence only begets violence”. Robespierre’s utilized senseless violence, created even more counter revolutionaries for his administration to deal with. The administration had been defiant to the suggestions of its members, who begged for Robespierre to end the killings, yet he's placed even his closest associate, George Danton, at the guillotine for making such suggestions.
Futile attempts of reformations in the French culture and religion also made the government increasingly unpopular.
The Committee of Public safety proved to be an ineffective government in any role it took, and its aggression would be all in vain as the government would come to an abrupt end when Robespierre was trailed and executed for his crimes.
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