on the role of Georges-Jaques Danton in the French Revolution

[Holden Caulfield]

"[even if they] return victorious over the coalition, this victory will still be a defeat to you; for it will have cost you thousands of brave men, while the Royalists, more numerous than you, will have lost nothing of their strength and influence. It is my opinion, that to disconcert their measures and to stop the enemy we must make the Royalists fear. Yes I tell you, we must make them fear!"

His aim was to involve the multitude, and to leave the revolution with no other refuge than victory.


Just read this in a really old history book. I like Danton from what I have read, however this opinion is based on very very little.

Can anybody inform me of his role in the revolution, his politics, and his relative progressiveness in context of the revolution.

[Holden Caulfield]

:confused:

[Dimentio]

Basically, Danton was a jacobinist. I think that he started as a lawyer, not unlike most of the jacobins. He was a real strongman and a powerful orator. Once he got his nose broken by a bull. His lip was maimed by another bull.

He was one of the original instigators of the Reign of Terror, together with Robespierre and Marat. But when he started to regret the mass executions of the revolutions, he himself was executed as an enemy of the people by Robespierre's faction (some months later, Robespierre himself was guilloutined).

It is estimated that about 650 000 people died due to the French revolution between 1789 and 1799, amongst them about an 80 000 executed. Most who were executed were peasants (royalist counter-revolutionaries) and people living in the cities.

[manic expression]

As Serpent said, he was a great speaker, he knew how to inspire crowds. Danton was a known profiteer and grew rich off the revolution through his positions, but the multitude didn't seem to care and were very positive toward him throughout his career. He and the Montagnards basically formed the center of the National Convention after 1792, with Robespierre (a friend of his, apparently), Saint-Just and their allies on the left (and the Enrages on their left) and the Girondins on the right. Danton helped found the Committee of Public Safety, which was supposed to feature revolving membership but became entrenched with time. After the Girondins had been purged, Danton then found himself on the right of Republican politics. When the Terror got going, Danton retreated to the countryside with his spouse/wife/mistress (I forget which) for awhile, and then came back in the Spring and got denounced, tried and guillotined.

Danton's execution was the beginning of the end for Robespierre, as members of the National Convention began to get quite nervous about their own heads. When the war began to go in the Republic's favor, and when Robespierre seemed willing to execute more people, the Convention turned on him and launched the Reaction of Thermidor in 1974. The Convention was soon replaced by the Directory.