Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety | |
---|---|
Comité de salut public (French) | |
Type | Provisional government |
Status | Disestablished |
Appointer | National Convention |
Constituting instrument | National Convention |
Formation | 6 April 1793 |
Abolished | 25 October 1795 |
Succession | Executive Directory |
The Committee of Public Safety (French: Comité de salut public) was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution. Supplementing the Committee of General Defence, created early January 1793, the Committee of Public Safety was created on 6 April 1793 by the National Convention.[1] It was charged with protecting the new republic against its foreign and domestic enemies, fighting the First Coalition and the Vendée revolt. As a wartime measure, the committee was given broad supervisory and administrative powers over the armed forces, judiciary and legislature, as well as the executive bodies and ministers of the convention.
As the committee, restructured in July, raised the defense (
Origins and evolution
Social climate of Revolutionary France
The French Revolution brought about an immense shift in society in which citizens desired to bring about a new age of critical rationality, egalitarianism, and patriotism amongst French men.[6] Revolutionary ideals were spread throughout France and a belief in democracy and civilian government was heralded as the new era of French civilization.[7] 1793 would bring a new republican constitution, drafted by the National Assembly.[8] The French Constitution of 1793 and its subsequent government would bring sweeping reforms to French politics and the French social order. Major reforms included comprehensive education, the recognition of rights for illegitimate children and improved rights for married women.[9]
The French Constitution of 1793 outlined the prevailing Enlightenment era ideology of the French government at this stage of the revolutionary period. The constitution outlines a right to the resistance of oppression as well as the right to personal liberty.[10] The equality of all French men is detailed as is the structure of the French Republic.[11] The new constitution and the shift into a republican government centered on the National Assembly created the atmosphere for a radicalized governing authority to take power.[12] Members of the French common classes such as the Sans-Culottes turned to radicalism and inspired militant activism among the French populace.[12]
Committee of discussion
On 5 April 1793, the French military commander and former minister of war General
After a proposal by
On 27 July 1793, Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the committee. At this time, the committee was entering a more powerful and active phase, alongside its partner, the Committee of General Security. The role of the Committee of Public Safety included the governance of the war (including the appointment of generals), the appointing of judges and juries for the Revolutionary Tribunal,[16] the provisioning of the armies and the public, the maintenance of public order and oversight of the state bureaucracy.[17]
The committee was also responsible for interpreting and applying the decrees of the
Execution of the Hébertists and Dantonists
On 5 December 1793, journalist
Consequently, though the Hébertists were arrested and executed in March 1794, the Committees had Desmoulins and Danton arrested as well.
Committee of rule
The elimination of the Hébertists and the Dantonists made evident the strength of the Committees to control and silence opposition. The creation in March 1794 of a General Police Bureau—reporting nominally to the Committee of Public Safety—served to increase the power of the Committee of Public Safety.
However, even as the Terror reached its height and with it the committee's political power, discord was growing within the revolutionary government. Members of the Committee of General Security resented the aggressive behavior of the Committee of Public Safety and particularly the encroachment of the General Police Bureau upon their own brief.[20] Arguments within the Committee of Public Safety itself had grown so violent that it relocated its meetings to a more private room to preserve the illusion of agreement.[21] On 21 May 1794 the revolutionary government decided that the judicial system would be centralised, with almost all the tribunals in the provinces closed and all the capital trials held in Paris.[22]
The Law of 22 Prairial, proposed by the committee and enacted by the convention on 10 June 1794, went further in establishing the control of the Revolutionary Tribunal and above it the Convention and Committees of Public Safety and General Security. The law enumerated various forms of public enemies, required their denunciation, and severely limited the legal recourse available to those accused. The punishment for all crimes covered under this law was death; from its inception to its removal, more people were condemned to death in Paris than in the entire previous history of the Revolutionary Tribunal.[23]
Robespierre, a fervent supporter of the theistic
Fall of the Committee and aftermath
When it became suspected in mid-July 1794 that Robespierre and Saint-Just were planning to strike against their political opponents
On the following day, 27 July 1794 (
A period of intense civil unrest ensued, during which the members of the Committees of Public Safety and General Security were forced to seek refuge in the convention. The Robespierre brothers, Saint-Just, Le Bas and Couthon ensconced themselves in the Hôtel de Ville, attempting to incite an insurrection. Ultimately, faced with defeat and arrest, Le Bas committed suicide, while Saint-Just, Couthon, and Maximilien and Augustin Robespierre were arrested and guillotined on 28 July 1794.[27]
The ensuing period of upheaval, dubbed the Thermidorian Reaction, saw the repeal of many of the previous year's most unpopular laws and the restriction of the Committees of General Security and Public Safety. The Committees ceased to exist under the Constitution of the Year III (1795), which marked the beginning of the Directory.[citation needed]
Composition
Committee of General Defence (25 March – 6 April 1793)
- Party breakdown
|
13
|
|
9
|
|
3
|
1st Committee (6 April – 10 July 1793)
- Party breakdown
|
6
|
|
3
|
2nd Committee (10 July – 5 September 1793)
- Party breakdown
|
6
|
|
3
|
- Changes
- On 30 May or 11 June, Saint-Just, Couthon and Hérault de Séchelles (Mountain) were admitted to the committee.[citation needed]
- On 27 July 1793, Gasparin was substituted by Maximilien Robespierre (Mountain).
3rd Committee (5 September 1793 – 31 July 1794)
- Party breakdown
|
9
|
|
3
|
Member | Department | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bertrand Barère | Hautes-Pyrénées | Plain | ||
Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne | Seine | Mountain | ||
Lazare Carnot | Pas-de-Calais | Plain | ||
Jean-Marie Collot | Seine | Mountain | ||
Georges Couthon (Before 27 July 1794) |
Puy-de-Dôme | Mountain | ||
André Jeanbon | Lot | Mountain | ||
Robert Lindet | Eure | Plain | ||
Pierre Louis Prieur | Marne | Mountain | ||
Claude-Antoine Prieur-Duvernois | Côte-d'Or | Mountain | ||
Maximilien Robespierre (Before 27 July 1794) |
Seine | Mountain | ||
Louis de Saint-Just (Before 27 July 1794) |
Aisne | Mountain | ||
Jean Hérault de Séchelles (Before 17 March 1794) |
Seine | Mountain |
- Changes
- On 17 March 1794, Hérault de Séchelles (Mountain) was arrested for treason, leaving his post vacant.
- On 27 July 1794, Robespierre, Saint-Just and Couthon (Mountain) were arrested and executed the following day.
- On 27 July 1794, the three were substituted by Jean-Lambert Tallien (Mountain).
4th-5th Committees (1 September – 7 November 1794)
- Party breakdown
|
11
|
|
1
|
5th Committee (September–October) |
6th Committee (October–November) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Department | Affiliation | Member | Department | Affiliation | ||||
Jean-Jacques Bréard | Charente-Inférieure | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Lazare Carnot | Pas-de-Calais | Thermidorian | Pierre Louis Prieur | Marne | Thermidorian | ||||
Jean-François-Bertrand Delmas | Haute-Garonne | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Joseph Eschassériaux | Charente-Inférieure | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Antoine François de Fourcroy
|
Seine | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Pierre-Antoine Laloy | Haute-Marne | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Charles Cochon de Lapparent | Deux-Sèvres | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jean-Baptiste Matthieu | Oise | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Philippe-Antoine Merlin | Nord | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Claude-Antoine Prieur-Duvernois | Côte-d'Or | Thermidorian | Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau | Côte-d'Or | Thermidorian | ||||
Jean-Baptiste Treilhard
|
Seine-et-Oise | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jacques-Alexis Thuriot | Marne | Crest | Renewed |
6th-7th Committees (7 November 1794 – 7 January 1795)
- Party breakdown
|
10
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
7th Committee (November–December) |
8th Committee (December–January) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Department | Affiliation | Member | Department | Affiliation | ||||
Jean-Jacques Bréard | Charente-Inférieure | Thermidorian | Vacant | ||||||
Jean-François-Bertrand Delmas | Haute-Garonne | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès
|
Hérault | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Lazare Carnot | Pas-de-Calais | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Antoine François de Fourcroy
|
Seine | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Charles Cochon de Lapparent | Deux-Sèvres | Thermidorian | Vacant | ||||||
Jean-Baptiste Matthieu | Oise | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Philippe-Antoine Merlin | Nord | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau | Côte-d'Or | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jean Pelet | Lozère | Conservative | Renewed | ||||||
Pierre Louis Prieur | Marne | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jacques-Alexis Thuriot | Marne | Crest | André Dumont | Somme | Thermidorian |
8th-9th Committees (7 January – 5 March 1795)
- Party breakdown
|
7
|
|
1
|
9th Committee (January–February) |
10th Committee (February–March) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Department | Affiliation | Member | Department | Affiliation | ||||
Jean-Jacques Bréard | Charente-Inférieure | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
André Dumont | Somme | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès
|
Hérault | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Lazare Carnot | Pas-de-Calais | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Vacant | Antoine François de Fourcroy
|
Seine | Thermidorian | ||||||
Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau | Côte-d'Or | Thermidorian | Jean-Baptiste Matthieu | Oise | Thermidorian | ||||
Jean Pelet | Lozère | Conservative | Renewed | ||||||
Pierre Louis Prieur | Marne | Thermidorian | Philippe-Antoine Merlin | Nord | Thermidorian |
10th-11th Committees (5 March – 5 May 1795)
- Party breakdown
|
5
|
|
1
|
11th Committee (March–April) |
12th Committee (April–May) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Department | Affiliation | Member | Department | Affiliation | ||||
Jean-Jacques Bréard | Charente-Inférieure | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
André Dumont | Somme | Thermidorian | Denis Toussaint Lesage | Eure-et-Loir | Thermidorian | ||||
Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès
|
Hérault | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Antoine François de Fourcroy
|
Seine | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Jean-Baptiste Matthieu | Oise | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Philippe-Antoine Merlin | Nord | Thermidorian | Renewed | ||||||
Vacant | Jacques Antoine Creuzé-Latouche | Vienne | Conservative |
12th Committee (3 June – 25 October 1795)
- Party breakdown
|
3
|
|
2
|
Member | Department | Affiliation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès
|
Hérault | Thermidorian | ||
Pierre Henry-Larivière | Calvados | Conservative | ||
Louis-Marie de La Révellière | Maine-et-Loire | Conservative | ||
Denis Toussaint Lesage | Eure-et-Loir | Thermidorian | ||
Philippe-Antoine Merlin | Nord | Thermidorian |
Use of the term during the Algerian War
During the
See also
- Commissioners of the Committee of Public Safety
- Committee of General Security
- National Convention
- Historiography of the French Revolution
- Revolutionary Tribunal
- Reflections on the Revolution in France
Bibliography
- Tackett, Timothy (2015). The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge, Mass: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 121. ISBN 9780674425163
- Tackett, Timothy (2015). The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. pp. 121–122. ISBN 9780674425163
- Tackett, Timothy (2015). The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 245. ISBN 9780674425163
- Tackett, Timothy (2015). The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 313. ISBN 9780674425163
- The Committee of Constitution (1793). The New Constitution of France. London: London: Printed for J. Ridgway. p. 3.
- The Committee of Constitution (1793). The New Constitution of France. London: London: Printed for J. Ridgway. pp. 4–7.
- Tackett, Timothy (2015). The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780674425163
- Tackett, Timothy (2015). The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780674425163
Notes
- ^ Raphaël Matta-Duvignau, Gouverner, administrer révolutionnairement : le Comité de salut public (6 avril 1793–4 brumaire an IV), Paris, L'Harmattan, 2013
- ^ "Committee of Public Safety". Encyclopædia Britannica. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ Raphaël Matta-Duvignau, Gouverner, administrer révolutionnairement : le Comité de salut public (6 avril 1793–4 brumaire an IV), Paris, L'Harmattan, 2013 [1]
- ^ "Committee of Public Safety". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ Vol. 67 (Brumaire an IV ; 23 octobre–26 octobre 1795) Collection Baudouin
- ISBN 9780674425163.
- ISBN 9780674425163.
- ISBN 9780674425163.
- ISBN 9780674425163.
- ^ The Committee of Constitution (1793). The New Constitution of France. London: London: Printed for J. Ridgway. p. 3.
- ^ The Committee of Constitution (1793). The New Constitution of France. London: London: Printed for J. Ridgway. pp. 4–7.
- ^ ISBN 9780674425163.
- ^ a b Belloc (1899), p. 210.
- ^ Mantel (2009).
- ^ Belloc (1899), p. 235.
- ^ Scurr (2006), p. 284.
- ^ Furet (1992), p. 134.
- ^ Furet (1992), p. 141.
- ^ "Danton Versus Robespierre: The Quest for Revolutionary Power". ucumberlands.edu. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ Scurr (2006), p. 331.
- ^ Scurr (2006), p. 340.
- ^ The French Revolution: From Enlightenment to Tyranny by Ian Davidson, p. xiv
- ^ Scurr (2006), p. 328.
- ^ Robespierre, Charlotte. Memoirs of Charlotte Robespierre. pp. Ch. 5.
- ^ Madelin (1916), p. 418.
- ^ Madelin (1916), p. 422.
- ^ "Maximilien Robespierre, Master of the Terror". loyno.edu. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
References
- Belloc, Hillaire (1899). Danton: A Study. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
- Furet, François (1992). Revolutionary France, 1770–1880. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
- Linton, Marisa (2013). Choosing Terror: Virtue, Friendship and Authenticity in the French Revolution. Oxford University Press.
- Madelin, Louis (1916). The French Revolution. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
- Mantel, Hilary (6 August 2009). "He Roared". London Review of Books. 3 (15): 3–6. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- S2CID 143925240.
- ISBN 0-691-05119-4.
- Schama, Simon (1989). Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
- Scurr, Ruth (2006). Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution. New York: Owl Books.