Reign of Terror Lesson Plan

Central Historical Question:

Was the main goal of the Committee of Public Safety to protect the
Revolution from its enemies?
Materials:
Copies of Timeline Key Events of the French Revolution
Copies of Reign of Terror Textbook Excerpt
Copies of Documents A and B
Copies of Reign of Terror Guiding Questions
Plan of Instruction:
[NOTE: This lesson focuses on the Reign of Terror, the radical phase of the
French Revolution that began in 1793. Students should be familiar with the
general events of the French Revolution before participating in this lesson.]
1. Introduction: Hand out French Revolution Timeline. Read the paragraph on
top together as a class. Use the timeline to review key events of the French
Revolution leading up to the Reign of Terror. As you review these key
events, you may want to emphasize the following:
[Note: The timeline attempts to illustrate the increasing radicalization of the
revolution between 1789 and 1792 by depicting the various governments that
preceded the Committee of Public Safety. The main takeaway for students is
that many people vied for power during the revolution; it was not a single,
monolithic effort. The timeline does NOT attempt to tell the story of the
Revolution, and in fact, does not include key events, such as the September
Massacres, the kings attempt to flee, etc.].
o The French Revolution began in 1789 (students should be familiar
with the grievances of the Third Estate, storming of the Bastille,
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen).
o Students should understand that the first phase of the French
Revolution abolished the system of feudalism.
o When the Legislative Assembly was established in 1791, the king
was still the symbolic leader, and property ownership was required
for voting. In other words, poor people could not vote.
o When the Jacobins (the more radical political organization) took
over and established the National Convention, the monarchy was
completely abolished (Louis XVI was eventually executed), and
everyone could vote.
o The Committee of Public Safety, headed by Robespierre, took over
the National Convention. The Committee of Public Safety claimed

Reign of Terror

that their goal was to make sure that the enemies of the French
Revolution (rich people both abroad and within France) did not roll
back the gains that had been achieved during the Revolution.
o Today, students will explore the motives of the Committee of Public
Safety and examine the question:
Was the main goal of the Committee of Public Safety to protect the
Revolution from its enemies?
2. Hand out Reign of Terror Textbook Excerpt and have students read and
complete guiding questions.
3. Review student answers to questions.

Question 2 might be tricky: the Jacobins would have wanted to

wipe out the past because they saw the Revolution as the dawn of
a new age based on reason, and they rejected religion and
superstition.
Question 3 is essential for students to understand. Be sure to
review the slogan: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
Students will probably say that the Committee of Public Safety did
not protect the ideals of the Revolution because the textbook gives
examples that seem random (eliminating the calendar) and evil
(killing tens of thousands).

4. Hand out Document A (Decree Against Profiteers) and have students

complete guiding questions. Review student answers:

Students should recognize that the Decree was passed to prevent

price gouging (if students are unfamiliar with this economic
concept, you should explain).
Students should also recognize that such behavior would be seen
as especially egregious in light of the ideals of the Revolution.
It is possible, therefore, that some students will say that the Decree
Against Profiteers supports the argument that the Committee of
Public Safety was, indeed, protecting the Revolution from its
enemies.

5. Hand out Document B (Law of Suspects) and have students complete

guiding questions. Review student answers:

For Question 2, its important that students try to imagine why such
people would have been considered threatening to the Committee
of Public Safety. You might engage students in discussion of the
following question: Just because someone was an enemy of the

Reign of Terror

Committee of Public Safety, does it mean that person was against

the French Revolution in general?
Students should recognize that the Committee of Public Safety
believed it was protecting the ideals of the Revolution.
Students will likely say that the Law of Suspects does not support
the claim that the Committee of Public Safety protected the ideals
of the Revolution from enemies. They will likely see the list of
potential suspects as overreaching and not necessarily comprised
of people who would pose a threat to the ideals of the Revolution.

6. Individual work: Students write a paragraph in response to the final

prompt.
7. If time allows, ask students to share their responses.

Citations:
Decree Against Profiteers: Stewart, J.H. (1951). A Documentary survey of the French
Revolution, 46971. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved
October 5, 2012, from: http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/414/
Law of Suspects: Duvergier, J-B. (1793). Collection complte des lois, dcrets,
ordonnances, rglements, avis du conseil d'tat . . . de 1788 a 1830
. . . , 2d ed., 110 vols. Paris. 6:17273. Retrieved October 5, 2012, from:
http://sourcebook.fitchburgstate.edu/history/lawofsuspects.html
Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell (2006), pp.
226-227.

Reign of Terror

Timeline - Key Events of the French Revolution

(1789-1794)
Over four years after the start of the French Revolution, France descended into a
period commonly known as the Reign of Terror, when over 16,000 people were
executed for allegedly opposing the Revolution. The Reign of Terror began when
the Committee of Public Safety took over the National Convention, the third
government that had been established since the start of the French Revolution.
The timeline below lists the governments and major reforms that were
established under each.

Name of Government

Year

Reforms

National Assembly

1789

Storming of the Bastille

End of feudalism
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

Legislative Assembly

1791

Constitutional monarchy with king as symbolic ruler

Property requirements for voting

July 1792
National Convention

Sept. 1792

Prussia and Austria begin invading France

Jacobins take control
Constitutional monarchy abolished
France becomes a republic with universal suffrage

Reign of Terror

January 1793
Committee of Public
Safety takes over the
National Convention

July 1793
September 1793

July 1794

King Louis XVI executed

Decree Against Profiteers (Document A)
Law of Suspects (Document B)

Robespierre, leader of the Reign of Terror, executed

Reign of Terror ends

Reign of Terror

Reign of Terror Textbook Excerpt

The Terror Grips France
Foreign armies were not the only enemies of the French Republic.
The Jacobins had thousands of enemies within France itself. These
included peasants who were horrified by the kings execution, priests
who would not accept government control, and rival leaders who
were stirring up rebellion in the provinces. How to contain and control
these enemies became a central issue.
Robespierre Assumes Control In the early months of 1793, one
Jacobin leader, Maximilian Robespierre, slowly gained power.
Robespierre and his supporters set out to build a republic of virtue
by wiping out every trace of Frances past. Firm believers in reason,
they changed the calendar, dividing the year into 12 months of 30
days and renaming each month. This calendar had no Sundays
because the radicals considered religion old-fashioned and
dangerous. They even closed all churches in Paris, and cities and
towns all over France soon did the same.
In July 1793, Robespierre became leader of the Committee of Public
Safety. For the next year, Robespierre governed France virtually as
a dictator, and the period of his rule became known as the Reign of
Terror. The Committee of Public Safetys chief task was to protect
the Revolution from its enemies. Under Robespierres leadership, the
committee often had these enemies tried in the morning and
guillotined in the afternoon. Robespierre justified his use of terror by
suggesting that it helped French citizens to remain true to the ideals
of the Revolution. . .
Thousands of unknown people were also sent to their death, often on
the flimsiest of charges. For example, an 18-year-old youth was
sentenced to die for cutting down a tree that had been planted as a
symbol of liberty. Perhaps as many as 40,000 were executed during
the Terror. About 85 percent were peasants or members of the urban
poor or middle classfor whose benefit the Revolution had been
launched.
Source: Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal
Littell (2006), pp. 226-227.
Reign of Terror

Document A: Decree Against Profiteers (Modified)

In July 1793, faced with an angry and hungry population, the leaders of the
Committee of Public Safety passed the Decree Against Profiteers. The law
accused profiteers in the countryside of hoarding or monopolizing grain in order
to raise the price of bread.

26 July 1793
1. Monopoly is a capital crime.
2. Those who keep out of circulation essential merchandise or
commodities without offering them for sale daily and publicly
are declared guilty of monopoly . . .
3. The essential commodities and merchandise are: bread, meat,
wine, grain, flour, vegetables, fruit, butter, vinegar, cider,
brandy, charcoal, tallow, wood, oil, soda, soap, salt, [etc.]
4. Those who have any of these commodities shall be required to
declare them and sell them . . .
5. One week from today, those who have not declared their goods
shall be considered monopolists, and, as such, punished with
death; their property shall be confiscated, and their
commodities or merchandise shall be placed on sale.
6. Those convicted of making false declarations likewise shall be
punished with death. Public officials who protect monopolists
shall also be punished with death.
Vocabulary
capital: punishable by death
decree: an official order
monopoly: total control over something
municipality: local government
commodities: things that can be bought or sold

Source: Excerpt from Decree Against Profiteers, passed July 1793.

Reign of Terror

Document B: Law of Suspects (Modified)

By September 1793, the leaders of the Committee of Public Safety faced growing
counter-revolutionary uprisings and mounting fear of foreign invasion. They
responded by passing the Law of Suspects, which established revolutionary
courts to try anyone suspected of treason against the revolution.

1 Immediately after the publication of the present decree, all

suspected persons within the territory of the Republic and still at
liberty shall be placed in custody.
2. The following are deemed suspected persons:
1st, those who, by their conduct, associations, talk, or writings
have shown themselves to be enemies of liberty
2nd, those who are unable to justify their means of existence
and the performance of their civic duties
3rd, those to whom certificates of patriotism have been refused
4th, public officials suspended or dismissed from their positions
by the National Convention or by its commissioners and not
reinstated
5th, those former nobles, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers,
sons or daughters, brothers or sisters of migrs, who have
not steadily demonstrated their devotion to the Revolution

Vocabulary
certificates of patriotism: proof of patriotism required to serve in military
migrs: people who leave their own country to settle in another, usually for
political reasons

Source: Excerpt from Law of Suspects, passed September 1793.

Reign of Terror

Reign of Terror Guiding Questions

Textbook Excerpt
1. According to the textbook, why did the Jacobins have so many enemies?

2. Robespierre and his supporters created a new calendar. Why would they
want to wipe out every trace of Frances past?

3. According to the textbook, Robespierre believed terror helped French citizens

remain true to the ideals of the Revolution. What were the ideals of the
French Revolution? (Use what you already know about the French Revolution
to answer this question).

Based on the textbook excerpt, do you think the Committee of Public

Safety protected the Revolution from its enemies? Circle one:
YES

NO

Explain your answer.

Reign of Terror

Document A: Decree Against Profiteers

1. (Contextualization) Why did the Committee of Public Safety pass the Decree
Against Profiteers?

2. (Contextualization) Why did the Committee of Public Safety consider

monopoly to be such a serious crime? (Hint: Think back to the ideals of the
French Revolution).

3. (Close reading) What was the punishment for those who did not comply with
this law?

Based on the Decree Against Profiteers, do you think the Committee of

Public Safety protected the Revolution from its enemies? Circle one:
YES

NO

Explain your answer.

Reign of Terror

Document B: Law of Suspects

1. What was the goal of the Law of suspects?

2. (Close reading) List two examples of people who would have been
considered suspects. Explain why the Committee of Public Safety would
have considered them suspects.

3. What might the leaders of the Committee of Public Safety have said to justify
this law?

Based on the Law of Suspects, do you think the Committee of Public

Safety protected the Revolution from its enemies? Circle one:
YES

NO

Explain your answer.

Reign of Terror

The Committee of Public Safety was established to protect the Revolution from
its enemies. Based on the Decree Against Profiteers and the Law of Suspects,
do you think the Committee of Public Safety actually protected the Revolution
from its enemies?
Write a paragraph in the space below, using evidence from the documents to
support your claims.

Reign of Terror