the psychology of revolution- 第31部分

Camille　Desmoulins；　Robespierre；　&c。



Of　the　two　powers；　clubs　and　insurrectionary　Commune；　the　latter

exercised　the　greater　influence　in　Paris；　because　it　had　made　for

itself　a　revolutionary　army。　　It　held　under　its　orders　forty…

eight　committees　of　National　Guards；　who　asked　nothing　more　than

to　kill；　sack；　and；　above　all；　plunder。



The　tyranny　with　which　the　Commune　crushed　Paris　was　frightful。　

For　example；　it　delegated　to　a　certain　cobbler；　Chalandon　by

name；　the　right　of　surveillance　over　a　portion　of　the　capitala

right　implying　the　power　to　send　to　the　Revolutionary　Tribunal；

and　therefore　to　the　guillotine；　all　those　whom　he　suspected。　

Certain　streets　were　thus　almost　depopulated　by　him。



The　Convention　struggled　feebly　against　the　Commune　at　the

outset；　but　did　not　prolong　its　resistance。　　The　culminating

point　of　the　conflict　occurred　when　the　Convention　wished　to

arrest　Hebert；　the　friend　of　the　Commune；　and　the　latter　sent

armed　bands　who　threatened　the　Assembly　and　demanded　the

expulsion　of　the　Girondists　who　had　provoked　the　measure。　　Upon

the　Convention　refusing　the　Commune　besieged　it　on　June　2；　1798；

by　means　of　its　revolutionary　army；　which　was　under　the　orders　of

Hanriot。　　Terrified；　the　Assembly　gave　up　twenty…seven　of　its

members。　　The　Commune　immediately　sent　a　delegation　ironically　to

felicitate　it　upon　its　obedience。



After　the　fall　of　the　Girondists　the　Convention　submitted　itself

completely　to　the　injunctions　of　the　omnipotent　Commune。　　The

latter　decreed　the　levy　of　a　revolutionary　army；　to　be

accompanied　by　a　tribunal　and　a　guillotine；　which　was　to　traverse

the　whole　of　France　in　order　to　execute　suspects。



Only　towards　the　end　of　its　existence；　after　the　fall　of

Robespierre；　did　the　Convention　contrive　to　escape　from　the　yoke

of　the　Jacobins　and　the　Commune。　　It　closed　the　Jacobin　club　and

guillotined　its　leading　members。



Despite　such　sanctions　the　leaders　still　continued　to　excite　the

populace　and　hurl　it　against　the　Convention。　　In　Germinal　and

Prairial　it　underwent　regular　sieges。　　Armed　delegations　even

succeeded　in　forcing　the　Convention　to　vote　the　re…establishment

of　the　Commune　and　the　convocation　of　a　new　Assembly；　a　measure

which　the　Convention　hastened　to　annul　the　moment　the　insurgents

had　withdrawn。　　Ashamed　of　its　fear；　it　sent　for　regiments　which

disarmed　the　faubourgs　and　made　nearly　ten　thousand　arrests。　

Twenty…six　leaders　of　the　movement　were　put　to　death；　and　six

deputies　who　were　concerned　in　the　riot　were　guillotined。



But　the　Convention　did　not　resist　to　any　purpose。　　When　it　was　no

longer　led　by　the　clubs　and　the　Commune　it　obeyed　the　Committee

of　Public　Safety　and　voted　its　decrees　without　discussion。



‘‘The　Convention；''　writes　H。　　Williams；　‘‘which　spoke　of　nothing

less　than　having　all　the　princes　and　kings　of　Europe　brought　to

its　feet　loaded　with　chains；　was　made　prisoner　in　its　own

sanctuary　by　a　handful　of　mercenaries。''





2。　　The　Government　of　France　during　the　ConventionThe　Terror。





As　soon　as　it　assembled　in　1792　the　Convention　began　by　decreeing

the　abolition　of　royalty；　and　in　spite　of　the　hesitation　of　a

great　number　of　its　members；　who　knew　that　the　provinces　were

royalist；　it　proclaimed　the　Republic。



Intimately　persuaded　that　such　a　proclamation　would　transform　the

civilised　world；　it　instituted　a　new　era　and　a　new　calendar。　　The

year　I。　of　this　era　marked　the　dawn　of　a　world　in　which　reason

alone　was　to　reign。　　It　was　inaugurated　by　the　trial　of　Louis

XVI。；　a　measure　which　was　ordered　by　the　Commune；　but　which　the

majority　of　the　Convention　did　not　desire。



At　its　outset；　in　fact；　the　Convention　was　governed　by　its

relatively　moderate　elements；　the　Girondists。　　The　president　and

the　secretaries　had　been　chosen　among　the　best　known　of　this

party。　　Robespierre；　who　was　later　to　become　the　absolute　master

of　the　Convention；　possessed　so　little　influence　at　this　time

that　he　obtained　only　six　votes　for　the　presidency；　while

Petion　received　two　hundred　and　thirty…five。



The　Montagnards　had　at　first　only　a　very　slight　influence。　　Their

power　was　of　later　growth。　　When　they　were　in　power　there　was　no

longer　room　in　the　Convention　for　moderate　members。



Despite　their　minority　the　Montagnards　found　a　way　to　force　the

Assembly　to　bring　Louis　to　trial。　　This　was　at　once　a　victory

over　the　Girondists；　the　condemnation　of　all　kings；　and　a　final

divorce　between　the　old　order　and　the　new。



To　bring　about　the　trial　they　manoeuvred　very　skilfully；

bombarding　the　Convention　with　petitions　from　the　provinces；　and

sending　a　deputation　from　the　insurrectional　Commune　of　Paris；

which　demanded　a　trial。



According　to　a　characteristic　common　to　the　Assemblies　of　the

Revolution；　that　of　yielding　to　threats　and　always　doing　the

contrary　of　what　they　wished；　the　men　of　the　Convention　dared　not

resist。　　The　trial　was　decided　upon。



The　Girondists；　who　individually　would　not　have　wished　for　the

death　of　the　king；　voted　for　it　out　of　fear　once　they　were

assembled。　　Hoping　to　save　his　own　head；　the　Duc　d'Orleans；

Louis'　cousin；　voted　with　them。　　If；　on　mounting　the　scaffold　on

January　21；　1793；　Louis　had　had　that　vision　of　the　future　which

we　attribute　to　the　gods；　he　would　have　seen　following　him；　one

by　one；　the　greater　number　of　the　Girondists　whose　weakness　had

been　unable　to　defend　him。



Regarded　only　from　the　purely　utilitarian　point　of　view；　the

execution　of　the　king　was　one　of　the　mistakes　of　the　Revolution。　

It　engendered　civil　war　and　armed　Europe　against　France。　　In　the

Convention　itself　his　death　gave　rise　to　intestine　struggles；

which　finally　led　to　the　triumph　of　the　Montagnards　and　the

expulsion　of　the　Girondists。



The　measures　passed　under　the　influence　of　the　Montagnards

finally　became　so　despotic　that　sixty　departments；　comprising　the

West　and　the　South；　revolted。　　The　insurrection；　which　was　headed

by　many　of　the　expelled　deputies；　would　perhaps　have　succeeded

had　not　the　compromising　assistance　of　the　royalists　caused　men

to　fear　the　return　of　the　ancien　regime。　　At　Toulon；　in　fact；　the

insurgents　acclaimed　Louis　XVII。



The　civil　war　thus　begun　lasted　during　the　greater　part　of　the

life　of　the　Revolution。　　It　was　fought　with　the　utmost　savagery。　

Old　men；　women；　children；　all　were　massacred；　and　villages　and

crops　were　burned。　　In　the　Vendee　alone　the　number　of　the　killed

was　reckoned　at　something　between　half　a　million　and　a　million。



Civil　war　was　soon　followed　by　foreign　war。　　The　Jacobins　thought

to　remedy　all　these　ills　by　creating　a　new　Constitution。　　It　was

always　a　tradition　with　all　the　revolutionary　assemblies　to

believe　in　the　magic　virtues　of　formula。　　In　France　this

conviction　has　never　been　affected　by　the　failure　of　experiments。



‘‘A　robust　faith；''　writes　one　of　the　great　admirers　of　the

Revolution；　M。　Rambaud；　‘‘sustained　the　Convention　in　this

labour；　it　believed　firmly　that　when　it　had　formulated　in　a　law

the　principles　of　the　Revolution　its　enemies　would　be　confounded；

or；　still　better；　converted；　and　that　the　advent　of　justice　would

disarm　the　insurgents。''



During　its　lifetime　the　Convention　drafted　two　Constitutions

that　of　1793；　or　the　year　I。；　and　that　of　1795；　or　the　year　III。　

The　first　was　never　applied；　an　absolute　dictatorship　very　soon

replacing　it；　the　second　created　the　Directory。



The　Convention　contained　a　large　number　of　lawyers　and　men　of

affairs；　who　promptly　comprehended　the　impossibility　of

government　by　means　of　a　large　Assembly。　　They　soon　divided　the

Convention　into　small　committees；　each　of　which　had　an

independent　existencebusiness　committees；　committees　of

legislation；　finance；　agriculture；　arts；　&c。　　These　committees

prepared　the　laws　which　the　Assembly　usually　voted　with　its　eyes

closed。



Thanks　to　them；　the　work　of　the　Convention　was　not　purely

destructive。　　They　drafted　many　very　useful　measures；　creating

important　colleges；　establishing　the　metric　system；　&c。　　The

majority　of　the　members　of　the　Assembly；　as　we　have　already　seen；

took　refuge　in　these　committees　in　order　to　evade　the　political

conflict　which　would　have　endangered　their　heads。



Above　the　business　committees；　which　had　nothing　to　do　with

politics；　was　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　instituted　in

April；　1793；　and　composed　of　nine　members。　　Directed　at　first　by

Danton；　and　in　the　July　of　the　same　year　by　Robespierre；　it

gradually　absorbed　all　the　powers　of　government；　including　that

of　giving　orders　to　ministers　and　generals。　　Carnot　directed　the

operations　of　the　war；　Cambon　the　finances；　and　Saint…Just　and

Collot…d'Herbois　the　general　policy。



Although　the　laws　voted　by　the　technical　committees　were　often

very　wise；　and　constituted　the　lasting　work　of　the　Convention；

those　which　the　Assembly　voted　in　a　body　under　the　threats　of　the

delegations　which　invaded　it　were　manifestly　ridiculous。



Among　these　laws；　which　were　not　greatly　in　the　interests　of　the

public　or　of　the　Convention　itself；　were　the　law　of　the　maximum；

voted　in　September；　1793；　which　pretended　to　fix　the　price　of

provisions；　and　which　merely　established　a　continual　dearth；　the

destruction　of　the　royal　tombs　at　Saint…Denis；　the　trial

of　the　queen；　the　systematic　devastation　of　the　Vendee　by

fire；　the　establishment　of　the　Revolutionary　Tribunal；　&c。



The　Terror　was　the　chief　means　of　government　during　the

Convention。　　Commencing　in　September；　1793；　it　reigned　for　six

monthsthat　is；　until　the　death　of　Robespierre。　　Vainly　did

certain　Jacobins　Danton；　Camille　Desmoulins；　Herault　de

Sechelles；　&c。propose　that　clemency　should　be　given　a　trial。　

The　only　result　of　this　proposition　was　that　its　authors　were

sent　to　the　scaffold。　　It　was　merely　the　lassitude　of　the　public

that　finally　put　an　end　to　this　shameful　period。



The　successive