Jacobin is a member of a political party (the Jacobin Club) during the Great French Revolution.
Origin of movement
Jacobin Club was formed by deputiesNational Assembly of the Breton faction. They held their meetings in the walls of the monastery of St. Jacob in Paris. Hence the name of the party of the Jacobins. They had their followers in the provinces, where many smaller clubs were created. Starting date is June 1789. The Jacobin Club was one of the most influential at that time and had a great influence on the development and movement of the French Revolution.
Club composition
It consisted of three wings, or factions:
1. Right, headed by Danton, a lawyer and the future Minister of Justice of France.
2. Left, whose leader was a famous doctor and journalist of radical views Marat, an ardent supporter of the terror unleashed by the Jacobins.
3. The Center - headed by Maximilian Robespierre, a brilliant speaker and lawyer by profession.
Thus, the Jacobin is one of the participants in the revolutionary movement, the vast majority of whom were well-educated people.
At the very beginning of their appearance, the Jacobins werefor the introduction of a constitutional monarchy in the country. Speaking at the Convention, they defended the unity of the state, strengthening national security, but at the same time called for harsh internal terror against the opponents of France and those who are trying to split the state from within.
Maximilian Robespierre - leader of the Jacobins
He was born in a family of hereditary lawyers.Having lost his mother early and his father, who abandoned his family, Robespierre was raised by his maternal grandfather, a brewer who wanted to make him a worker, being sure that the profession of a lawyer would not bring wealth. But the boy’s teachers, seeing his talent for learning, turned to the influential people of the city for help, and Robespierre received a scholarship that gave him the opportunity to study in the Paris Lyceum. After graduation, he returns to his hometown and plunges into political life. Thanks to the excellent oratory Robespierre is elected to the number of deputies of the States General from his city and returns to Paris.
The brilliant speeches of a young provincial soon attract attention, and Robespierre's words are beginning to heed.
Since the beginning of the revolutionary events in France, heHe takes the most active part in them, stands for allowing actors, Huguenots and Jews to engage in public activity, for the abolition of slavery in the colonies and for the veto on the death penalty in France.
Since the creation of the Jacobin Club Robespierrebecomes one of its main leaders. After the overthrow of the monarchy and the declaration of France as an independent and indivisible republic, it occupies one of the leading positions in the National Convention.
Jacobin politics after coming to power
В Национальном Конвенте основными противниками Jacobin club were Girondins. A Jacobin is a member of a radical political club, which means that he is not on the path with those who are less determined. The Girondins were against the execution of the king, fearing that she would open the way to terror in the country. Not differing oratorical talents and organization, they lost the power struggle. In 1793, after an accusatory speech at the Robespierre Convention, they were tried and executed.
After the Jacobins came to power, their dictatorshipthe party has acquired a particularly formidable scale. A committee of public salvation was created. Headed by Robespierre. Authorities were sent to all parts of the country to act on the ground. All the forces of the Jacobins threw a reflection of the intervention and the solution of economic problems. The death penalty was introduced for speculation, bread and grain were forcibly seized, firm prices for the most important products were fixed.
In a short time thanks to decisive actionJacobins managed to create a combat-ready French army and eliminate the threat of intervention. Economic reforms did not improve the situation. Among the Jacobins themselves began to split. The bourgeoisie was unhappy with tough policies, the people demanded further reforms. Robespierre, trying to retain power in the country with the help of terror, soon became his victim. He and his closest associates were executed in 1794. After that, the dictatorship of the Jacobins fell.
Conclusion
The word has another meaning. A Jacobin is a free-thinker or a revolutionary-minded person. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, this word was quite popular. Currently it is rarely used.
