What was the purpose of the Revolutionary Tribunal?
The Revolutionary Tribunal ( French: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror.
How did the tribunals begin to evolve into political courts?
Free of restrictions, the tribunals began to evolve into political courts. Radical political clubs, particularly the Jacobins, would decided who was a candidate for investigation. Needless to say, they usually nominated their political rivals.
How many tribunals were there in the French Revolution?
At the height of the Terror, there were almost 200 of these tribunals around France. The Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris, led by the notorious public prosecutor Antoine Fouquier-Tinville, was the most prolific organ of the Terror, sending more than 2,700 people to their deaths, sometimes as many as 30 in a single day.
Why was the Revolutionary Tribunal split into 4 chambers?
On 5 September 1793, the Convention declared that "terror is the order of the day" and split the Revolutionary Tribunal into four concurrent chambers so that the number of cases it dealt with could be greatly increased.
Who created revolutionary courts to put traitors on trial?
Formation. The formation of the Revolutionary Tribunals is often attributed to Georges Danton but their true creator was Jean-Baptiste Carrier (1756-94).
Why was the law of suspects created?
The Law of Suspects was finally debated after the invasion of the National Convention by the sections of Paris on 5 September. Its purpose was to define broadly who was to be arrested and examined before revolutionary tribunals. It also forced legislature to adopt the Maximum.
What was the most common sentence given by the Revolutionary Tribunal?
The Legislative Assembly created a new legislature in the National Convention. What was the most common sentence given by the Revolutionary Tribunal? The most common sentence given by the Revolutionary Tribunal was the guillotine.
How did the revolutionary court function during the reign of terror?
The Reign of Terror, also called the Terror, was a period of state-sanctioned violence and mass executions during the French Revolution. Between Sept. 5, 1793, and July 27, 1794, France's revolutionary government ordered the arrest and execution of thousands of people.
What was the goal of the Law of Suspects quizlet?
What was the goal of the Law of suspects? The goal was to have a revolutionary courts to test anyone who was thought to be a trader during the revolution.
Did the Law of Suspects protect the Revolution from its enemies?
yes, The Decree Against Profiteers protected the Revolution from its enemies because it was trying to protect the people's rights to everyone having the things that they needed. What was the goal of the Law of suspects? The goal of the Law of suspects was to get out anyone that was against the revolution.
What were Revolutionary tribunals and what were their purpose?
The Revolutionary Tribunal (French: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror.
When was the revolutionary tribunal created?
A court established in Paris in October 1793 to try political opponents of the French Revolution. There was no right of appeal and from June 1794 the only penalty was death. A principal instrument of the Terror, it existed until May 1795 and was responsible for ordering more than 2,600 executions.
What was the penalty for defying Revolutionary law in France during the Revolution?
On June 10, 1794, there was promulgated, at his instigation, the Law of 22 Prairial, which forbade prisoners to employ counsel for their defense, suppressed the hearing of witnesses, and made death the sole penalty.
What were the main causes of the Reign of Terror?
What were the main causes of the Reign of Terror? Historians are divided about the onset and causes of the Terror, however, the revolutionary war, fears of foreign invasion, rumours about counter-revolutionary activity, assassination plots and zealots in the government were all contributing factors.
What was the purpose of the Reign of Terror?
Answer and Explanation: The Reign of Terror was meant to protect France from enemies of the Revolution that threatened France's stability. This phase attempted to rid France of supposedly subversive elements by imprisoning them and sending many of them to the guillotine.
Why did the revolutionaries execute the king?
One day after being convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and sentenced to death by the French National Convention, King Louis XVI is executed by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution in Paris.
What was the purpose of the Terror in the French Revolution?
With civil war spreading from the Vendée and hostile armies surrounding France on all sides, the Revolutionary government decided to make “Terror” the order of the day (September 5 decree) and to take harsh measures against those suspected of being enemies of the Revolution (nobles, priests, and hoarders).
Why was the thermidorian reaction important?
Thermidorian Reaction, in the French Revolution, the parliamentary revolt initiated on 9 Thermidor, year II (July 27, 1794), which resulted in the fall of Maximilien Robespierre and the collapse of revolutionary fervour and the Reign of Terror in France.
Why the Committee of Public Safety would have considered the suspects?
Explain why the Committee of Public Safety would have considered them suspects. Anyone who isn't able to have their actions justified by the first of March. They were deemed a suspect because they wouldn't be able to support their claims or duties as a citizen.
What did the law of 22 Prairial do?
It placed an active obligation on all citizens to denounce and bring to justice those suspected - 'Every citizen is empowered to seize conspirators and counterrevolutionaries, and to bring them before the magistrates.
What is the Revolutionary Tribunal?
The Revolutionary Tribunal ( French: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders.
Why was the Provisional Revolutionary Tribunal established?
The provisional Revolutionary Tribunal was established on 17 August 1792 in response to the Storming of the Tuileries. To ensure that there was some appropriate legal process for dealing with suspects accused of political crimes and treason, rather than arbitrary killing by local committees, Maximilien Robespierre proposed ...
How many prisoners were freed after the Thermidorean reaction?
In the five days after the Thermidorean Reaction, the Convention freed 478 political prisoners, but 8,000 still remained incarcerated, despite popular demands for a general amnesty.
What was the most famous case in the Girondin acquittal?
One of the earliest cases brought to the Tribunal led to its most famous acquittal. On 13 April 1793 Girondin deputés brought an accusation against Jean-Paul Marat. Crucially, this involved waiving the immunity enjoyed up to then by members of the Convention (Marat was himself a deputé). Not only did the case against Marat collapse, but two days after his case was brought, members of the Paris Commune responded by bringing a case to the Tribunal against 22 leading Girondins. This case was dismissed, but the principle that Convention members could be tried by the Tribunal was an important one, and ultimately led to the Girondin leaders being tried and executed in October 1793.
What is the only offence that the Tribunal will judge?
One day Robespierre decided: "The Tribunal will judge only one form of offence: High Treason; for which there is only one punishment, death. It is therefore useless that time should be wasted in long deliberations"
How long did the Revolutionary Tribunal last?
These limited trials in the Revolutionary Tribunal to three days. They also prevented the Revolutionary Tribunal from calling witnesses, or from allowing defence counsel. Juries were to convict or acquit entirely on the basis of the accusation and the accused's own defence.
Why did the Revolutionary Tribunal split into four chambers?
On 5 September 1793 the Convention declared that "terror is the order of the day" and split the Revolutionary Tribunal into four concurrent chambers so that the number of cases it dealt with could be greatly increased. It also decided that all jurors in the Tribunal should be directly appointed by the Committee of Public Safety or the Committee of General Security. This followed the news that rebels in Toulon had handed the city over to the British and several days of rioting in Paris. : 257–8
Who created the Revolutionary Tribunals?
The formation of the Revolutionary Tribunals is often attributed to Georges Danton but their true creator was Jean-Baptiste Carrier (1756-94). A Jacobin lawyer, Carrier was known for his sharp tongue, revolutionary zeal and murderous cruelty. He had a particular hatred of organised religion and the clergy.
What was the purpose of the Paris Revolutionary Tribunal?
They were charged with investigating and dispensing justice to enemies of the revolution.
How many revolutionary tribunals were there in France?
At the height of the Terror, there were almost 200 of these tribunals around France. The Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris, led by the notorious public prosecutor Antoine Fouquier-Tinville, ...
How many people were executed during the reign of terror?
The provincial Revolutionary Tribunals are believed to have executed around 15,000 people during the Reign of Terror. A historian’s view:
How did the National Convention improve the city's Revolutionary Tribunal?
On September 5th 1793, the National Convention, under pressure from the Paris sections, moved to streamline the city’s Revolutionary Tribunal and improve its efficiency. The tribunal was increased in size, becoming four courts rather than one.
What powers did the Paris tribunal have?
The Paris tribunal was given extensive powers to deal with anyone suspected of opposing, undermining or working against the revolution. Most suspects were delivered to the tribunal by the Committee of General Security, which itself operated several surveillance groups.
Why was the Paris Revolutionary Tribunal subject to complaints?
In its first months, the Paris Revolutionary Tribunal was subject to frequent complaints, mainly about its slowness in processing and finalising cases. There were also complaints about the number of acquittals. Both were attributed to the tribunal’s strict legal procedures which, under existing French law, required a preliminary interrogation, a deposition, evidence, witnesses and investigation of suspects.
Why were workers' and peasants' tribunals established?
The 1917 decree proclaimed that the workers' and peasants' revolutionary tribunals were established "for the purpose of the struggle against counter-revolutionary forces and defend the revolution, as well as to struggle against marauders, and profiteers, sabotage and other abuses by merchants, industrialists, clerks and others".
When were the revtribunals established?
Revolutionary tribunals (commonly abbreviated as revtribunals) in Soviet Russia were established soon after the October Revolution by the Soviet "Decree of the Soviet of Peoples' Commissars Concerning the Courts No. 1" ("Декрет о суде № 1") of November 22 ( N.S.: December 5), 1917.
When was the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic established?
On September 2, 1918 , on the basis of a resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic was established , which on October 14, 1918 issued order No. 94, clause 11 of which read: “To form a Military-Revolutionary Tribunal under the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic".
Overview
The Revolutionary Tribunal (French: Tribunal révolutionnaire; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. It eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror.
Judicial reforms
Early 1791 freedom of defence became the standard; any citizen was allowed to defend another. From the beginning, the authorities were concerned about this experiment. Derasse suggests it was a "collective suicide" by the lawyers in the Assembly. In criminal cases, the expansion of the right ... gave priority to the spoken word. By December 1791 deputies voted themselves the power to select the judges, jury and accusateur public. On 15 February 1792 the Tribunal Criminel was i…
Origin
The provisional Revolutionary Tribunal was established on 17 August 1792 in response to the Storming of the Tuileries. To ensure that there was some appropriate legal process for dealing with suspects accused of political crimes and treason, rather than arbitrary killing by local committees, Maximilien Robespierre proposed that a new Tribunal be set up, with extraordinary powers to impose the death sentence. The Tribunal was abolished in November 1792 at the star…
Form
The court was to hear cases of alleged counter-revolutionary offences from across France. It was composed of a jury of twelve. This was an innovation in French justice, borrowed from English law (although for the Revolutionary Tribunal the jury was carefully selected from politically reliable activists). It had five judges, a public prosecutor, and two deputy prosecutors, all nominated by the Convention; and from its judgements, there was no appeal. Jacques-Bernard-Marie Montané bec…
Operation
One of the earliest cases brought to the Tribunal led to its most famous acquittal. On 13 April 1793 Girondin deputés brought an accusation against Jean-Paul Marat. Crucially, this involved waiving the immunity enjoyed until then by members of the Convention (Marat was himself a deputé). Not only did the case against Marat collapse, but two days after his case was brought, members of the Paris Commune responded by bringing a case to the Tribunal against 22 leadin…
Criticism
The powers of the Revolutionary Tribunal were granted by the Convention, and there was only limited criticism of it. Royalists, émigrés and federalists were clearly opposed to the Tribunal and its workings, but since public criticism in Paris or in the press would be regarded as treasonable, it barely existed. At the same time, there were periodic demands from Enragés and Hébertists that the Tribunal accelerate its work and condemn more of the accused.
After Thermidor
After the overthrow of Robespierre in July 1794, some people expected the Revolutionary Tribunal to be abolished, but this did not happen. In the five days after the Thermidorian Reaction, the Convention freed 478 political prisoners, but 8,000 still remained incarcerated, despite popular demands for a general amnesty.
Assessment
From the beginning of 1793 to the Thermidorian Reaction, 17,000 people were sentenced and beheaded by some form of revolutionary court in France (in Paris or in the provinces), in addition to some 25,000 others who were summarily executed in the September Massacres, retributions in the War in the Vendée and elsewhere. The Paris Revolutionary Tribunal was responsible for 16% of all death sentences.