Georges Danton

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the girondists wished to set up a republic but their enemy said they wanted to establish federalism in france thus they incurred the hatred of the municipality or commune of paris which looked upon the leadership and preeminence of the capital as one of the vital necessities of any right government of france the jealousy of paris is curious when we realise that members of the commune considered themselves prophets who were to teach the doctrine of equality between man and man their logic apparently did not lead them to believe in like equality between institutions striking peculiarity of the girondists was their affection for the institutions of greece and rome they made a cult of ancient history and from its sources they drew their political inspiration it was to them a fount of parallels and a hunting-ground for nicknames the person who was most imbued with reverence for greece and rome and the soul of the whole party was a woman madame it is safe to say that she had more influence on this period of history than many of the chief men of the day she was a person of extraordinary powers of fascination until recent years it was usual to find her described unreservedly as a lofty-minded patriot who was filled with selfless devotion to the cause of france and instilled with a pure patriotism drawn from the classics recent historical research however demonstrates that she was a woman of many unpleasant characteristics more often than not her conduct was prompted not by patriotism but by personal malice thus in the first instance she was moved to conspire against marie antoinette because she believed her to have thwarted her social ambitions Later on, the object of her hatred was Danton, later still Robespierre.

And so, instead of depicting her as modelled on one of the old Greek and Roman heroines, as she would have wished, a modern historian has summed her up as a horrid female, and as a woman who set her heart on the downfall of the throne, not for any political conviction, but from personal hatred of Marie Antoinette.

however when all is said madame roland with her unbounded energy and great gifts provided a large share of the driving power of the girondists the jacobins as the girondists wished for a republic but not a republic based on federalism their ablest men in the assembly were couthon thuriot and chabot Those who controlled their policy were men outside the assembly, members of the Jacobin Club, Danton, Robespierre, and Marat.

danton is assuredly the most remarkable man of the revolutionary period and carlyle has justly on this score made him the hero of his great work he was born in seventeen fifty nine at arcy sur aube springing like many other prominent men of his time from an insignificant middle-class stock he was educated and trained for the profession of the law his personal appearance was remarkable for he has been described thus he was tall and stout with the forward bearing of the orator full of gesture and of animation he carried a round french head upon the thick neck of energy his face was generous ugly and determined with wide eyes and calm brows he yet had the quick glance which betrays the habit of appealing to an audience his upper lip was injured and so was his nose and he had further been disfigured by the small-pox his lip had been torn by a bull when he was a child and his nose crushed in a second adventure they say with the same animal added to this arresting appearance he was a man who possessed great vigour powers of close reasoning and a wonderful voice danton made his first entrance into public life through parisian municipal politics in seventeen ninety because he thought that the monarchy would bring ruin upon france he was a great enemy of la fayette thus after the flight to varennes when la fayette restored order in paris when the mob was clamouring for the deposition of the king danton whose arrest had been ordered fled to england and there he remained until the constitution was accepted and a general amnesty was granted for all revolutionary acts danton indeed failed to obtain a seat in the legislative assembly but he found scope for his energies in the commune of paris In it, he held high office, being second procureur substitut.

He was also a prominent member of the Jacobin Club.

his few national grenadiers shuffle back with him into the embrasure of a window here he stands with unimpeachable passivity amid the shouldering and braying a spectacle to men they give him a red cap of liberty he sets it quietly on his head forgets it is there he complains of thirst half-drunk rascality offer him a bottle he drinks of it sire do not fear says one of the grenadiers fear answers louis feel then putting the man's hand on his heart there were no direct results from this insurrection but it made plain to all that the king would soon be overthrown in august another similar outbreak took place in paris by this time prussia had joined with austria and a prussian army was invading france along the moselle under the duke of brunswick The Duke of Brunswick issued in July a manifesto, doubtless inspired by Marie Antoinette, calling on the French people to submit to their lawful sovereign, and adding that the members of the National Assembly, of the Municipality, and of the National Guard of Paris would be held responsible with their heads for all events, and threatening Paris with destruction if any harm came to the King and the royal family.

This was sufficient to rouse popular fury against the monarchy to the boiling point.