The Committee of Public Safety () was a committee of the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

which formed the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

and war cabinet during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

, 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

. It was charged with protecting the new republic against its foreign and domestic enemies, fighting the

First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French Republic that succeeded it. They were only loosely allied ...

and the

Vendée revolt Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.levée en masse ''Levée en masse'' ( or, in English, ''mass levy'') is a French term used for a policy of mass national conscription, often in the face of invasion. The concept originated during the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly for the period fo ...

'') against the monarchist coalition of European nations and counter-revolutionary forces within France, it became more and more powerful. In December 1793, the Convention formally conferred executive power upon the committee. Among the members, the radical Montagnard

Jacobin The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre ferv ...

was one of the most well-known, though he did not have any special powers or privileges. After the arrest and execution of the rival factions of

Hébertists The Hébertists (, ), or Exaggerators (), were a radical revolutionary political group associated with the populist journalist Jacques Hébert, a member of the Cordeliers club. They came to power during the Reign of Terror and played a significa ...

and

Dantonists Georges Jacques Danton (; ; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a leading figure of the French Revolution. A modest and unknown lawyer on the eve of the Revolution, Danton became a famous orator of the Cordeliers Club and was raised to gove ...

, sentiment in the Convention eventually turned against Robespierre, who was executed in July 1794. In the following

Thermidorian Reaction In the historiography of the French Revolution, the Thermidorian Reaction ( or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespierre on 9 Thermidor II, or 27 J ...

, the committee's influence diminished after 15 months and it disappeared on the same day as the

, which was 25 October 1795, but it probably continued till the end of the month.

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 Egalitarianism (; also equalitarianism) is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

, and patriotism amongst French men. Revolutionary ideals were spread throughout France and a belief in

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

and civilian government was heralded as the new era of French civilization. 1793 would bring a new republican constitution, drafted by the National Assembly. 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. The French Constitution of 1793 outlined the prevailing

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

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. The equality of all French men is detailed as is the structure of the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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. Members of the French common classes such as the

Sans-Culottes The (; ) were the working class, common people of the social class in France, lower classes in late 18th-century history of France, France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their ...

turned to radicalism and inspired militant activism among the French populace.

Committee of discussion

On 5 April 1793, the French military commander and former minister of war General

Charles François Dumouriez Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (; 26 January 1739 – 14 March 1823) was a French military officer, French minister of foreign affairs, minister of Foreign Affairs, French minister of Defense, minister of War in a Constitutional Cabin ...

defected to Austria following the publication of an incendiary letter in which he threatened to march his army on the city of Paris if the National Convention did not accede to his leadership. News of his defection caused alarm in Paris, where imminent defeat by the Austrians and their allies was feared. A widespread belief held that revolutionary France was in immediate peril, threatened not only by foreign armies and by recent revolts in the

Vendée Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.. Dumouriez's defection lent greater credence to this belief. In light of this threat, the

Girondin The Girondins (, ), also called Girondists, were a political group during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnards, they initiall ...

leader

Maximin Isnard Maximin Isnard (; 16 November 1755 Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes – 12 March 1825 Grasse), French revolutionary, was a dealer in perfumery at Draguignan when he was elected deputy for the ''département'' of the Var to the Legislative Assembly, wh ...

proposed the creation of a nine-member Committee of Public Safety. Isnard was supported in this effort by

Georges Danton Georges Jacques Danton (; ; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a leading figure of the French Revolution. A modest and unknown lawyer on the eve of the Revolution, Danton became a famous orator of the Cordeliers Club and was raised to gove ...

, who declared: "This Committee is precisely what we want, a hand to grasp the weapon of the

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. In October 1793, it became one of the most powerful engines of ...

". After a proposal by

Bertrand Barère Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac (, 10 September 175513 January 1841) was a French politician, freemason, journalist, and one of the most prominent members of the National Convention, representing the Plain (a moderate political faction) during the ...

on 18 March the committee was created on 6 April 1793. Closely associated with the leadership of Danton, it was initially known as the Danton Committee.. Danton steered the Committee through the 31 May and 2 June 1793 ''journées'' that saw the violent expulsion of the Girondins and through the intensifying war in the Vendée. When the committee was recomposed on 10 July 1793, Danton was not included. Nevertheless, he continued to support the centralization of power by the committee.. 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 Committee of General Security () was a parliamentary committee of the French National Convention which acted as police agency during the French Revolution. Established as a committee of the Convention in October 1792, it was designed to protec ...

. 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,. the provisioning of the armies and the public, the maintenance of public order and oversight of the state bureaucracy.. The committee was also responsible for interpreting and applying the decrees of the

and thus for implementing some of the most stringent policies of the Terror—for instance, the ''

levée en masse ''Levée en masse'' ( or, in English, ''mass levy'') is a French term used for a policy of mass national conscription, often in the face of invasion. The concept originated during the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly for the period fo ...

'' passed on 23 August 1793, the

Law of Suspects :''Note: This decree should not be confused with the Law of General Security (), also known as the "Law of Suspects," adopted by Napoleon III in 1858 that allowed punishment for any prison action, and permitted the arrest and deportation, without ...

passed on 17 September 1793 and the

Law of the General Maximum The Law of the General Maximum () was instituted during the French Revolution on 29 September 1793, setting price limits and punishing price gouging to attempt to ensure the continued supply of food to the French capital. It was enacted as an ...

passed on 29 September 1793. The broad and centralized powers of the committee were codified by the

Law of 14 Frimaire The Law of 14 Frimaire passed on 4 December 1793, during the French Revolution, in which power became centralized and consolidated under the Committee of Public Safety. It stopped '' representatives on-mission'' from taking unaccountable, and som ...

(also known as the Law of Revolutionary Government) on 4 December 1793.

Execution of the Hébertists and Dantonists

On 5 December 1793, journalist

Camille Desmoulins Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins (; 2 March 17605 April 1794) was a French journalist, politician and a prominent figure of the French Revolution. He is best known for playing an instrumental role in the events that led to the Stormin ...

began publishing ''

Le Vieux Cordelier ''Le Vieux Cordelier'' () was a French journal published by Camille Desmoulins between 5 December 1793 and 3 February 1794 at the instigation of Georges Danton and warned not to exaggerate the revolution. Desmoulins argued that the French Revoluti ...

'' with the approval of Robespierre and the Committee''..'' This newspaper was initially aimed against the ultrarevolutionary Hébertist faction, whose extremist demands, anti-religious fervor and propensity for sudden insurrections troubled the committee. However, Desmoulins quickly turned his pen against the Committee of Public Safety and the Committee of General Security, comparing their reign to that of the Roman tyrants chronicled by

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

and expounding the indulgent views of the Dantonist faction. Consequently, though the Hébertists were arrested and executed in March 1794, the Committees had Desmoulins and Danton arrested as well. Hérault de Séchelles, a friend and ally of Danton, was expelled from the Committee of Public Safety, arrested and tried alongside them. On 5 April 1794, the Dantonists went to the guillotine.

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 period later known 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.. 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.. On 21 May 1794 the revolutionary government decided that the judicial system would be centralised, with almost all the

tribunals A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a singl ...

in the provinces closed and all the capital trials held in Paris. The

Law of 22 Prairial The Law of 22 Prairial, also known as the ''loi de la Grande Terreur'', the law of the Great Terror, was enacted on 10 June 1794 (22 Prairial of the Year II under the French Revolutionary Calendar). It was proposed by Georges Auguste Couthon bu ...

, 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.. However, this statistic is accentuated by the fact that, as noted previously, all capital trials and sentences were carried out in Paris rather than being scattered across the provinces. Robespierre, a fervent supporter of the theistic

Cult of the Supreme Being Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

, found himself frequently in conflict with anti-religious Committee members

Collot d'Herbois Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois (; 19 June 1749 – 8 June 1796) was a French actor, dramatist, essayist, and revolutionary. He was a member of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror and, while he saved Madame Tussaud from the ...

and

Billaud-Varenne Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne (; 23 April 1756 – 3 June 1819), also known as Jean Nicolas or by his nicknames, the Righteous Patriot or the Tiger, was a French lawyer and a major figure in the French Revolution. A close associate of Georges ...

. Moreover, Robespierre's increasingly extensive absences from the Committee due to illness (he all but ceased to attend meetings in June 1794) created the impression among some members that he was isolated and out of touch.

Charlotte Robespierre Marie Marguerite Charlotte de Robespierre (5 February 1760, Arras – 1 August 1834, Paris) was a French writer and revolutionary. A Jacobin during the French Revolution, she is best known for the memoirs she dictated about the lives of her brot ...

reported in her memoirs that Robespierre had come into conflict with several of the representatives on mission due to their excessive use of violence, which likely also led to the unity of the Committee devolving.

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

Joseph Fouché Joseph Fouché, 1st Duc d'Otrante, 1st Comte Fouché (; 21 May 1759 – 26 December 1820) was a French statesman, revolutionary, and Minister of Police under First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, who later became a subordinate of Emperor Napoleon. H ...

Jean-Lambert Tallien Jean-Lambert Tallien (, 23 January 1767 – 16 November 1820) was a French politician of the revolutionary period. Though initially an active agent of the Reign of Terror, he eventually clashed with its leader, Maximilien Robespierre, and is bes ...

and

Marc-Guillaume Alexis Vadier Marc-Guillaume Alexis Vadier (17 July 1736 – 14 December 1828) was a major French politician of the French Revolution. He is sometimes called the "Great Inquisitor", for his active participation in the Reign of Terror. He is primarily known f ...

(the latter two members of the Committee of General Security), the fragile truce within the government was dissolved. Saint-Just and his fellow Committee of Public Safety member

attempted to keep the peace between the Committees of Public Safety and General Security. However, Robespierre delivered a speech to the National Convention on 26 July 1794 in which he emphasized the need to "purify" the Committees and "crush all factions".. In a speech to the

Jacobin Club The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...

that night, he attacked Collot d'Herbois and Billaud-Varenne, who had refused to allow the printing and distribution of his speech to the convention. On the following day, 27 July 1794 (

9 Thermidor Maximilien Robespierre addressed the National Convention on 26 July 1794, was arrested the next day, and executed on 28 July. In his speech on 26 July, Robespierre spoke of the existence of internal enemies, conspirators, and calumniators, with ...

according to the Republican calendar), Saint-Just began to speak before the Convention. However, he was almost immediately interrupted by Tallien and by Billaud-Varenne, who accused him of intending to "murder the Convention".. Barère, Vadier and

Stanislas Fréron Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

joined the accusations against Saint-Just and Robespierre. The Convention ordered the arrest of Robespierre, his brother Augustin, and Saint-Just, along with that of their supporters, including

Philippe Le Bas Philippe Le Bas (18 June 1794 in Paris – 19 May 1860 in Paris) was a French hellenist, archaeologist and translator. He was the son of Philippe Le Bas and Elisabeth Duplay, the daughter of Robespierre's landlord Maurice Duplay. He was only 6 w ...

and

Georges Couthon Georges Auguste Couthon (, 22 December 1755 – 28 July 1794) was a French politician and lawyer known for his service as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly during the French Revolution. Couthon was elected to the Committee of Public Safety o ...

. 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 , 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. The ensuing period of upheaval, dubbed the

, 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 The Constitution of the Year III () was the constitution of the French First Republic that established the Directory. Adopted by the convention on 5 Fructidor Year III (22 August 1795) and approved by plebiscite on 6 September. Its preamble is ...

(1795), which marked the beginning of the Directory.

Composition

Committee of General Defence (25 March 6 April 1793)

;Party breakdown

1st Committee (6 April 10 July 1793)

;Party breakdown

2nd Committee (10 July 5 September 1793)

;Party breakdown ;Changes: * On 30 May or 11 June, Saint-Just, Couthon and Hérault de Séchelles (Mountain) were admitted to the committee. * On 27 July 1793, Gasparin was substituted by

(Mountain).

3rd Committee (5 September 1793 31 July 1794)

;Party breakdown ;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

(Mountain).

4th–5th Committees (1 September 7 November 1794)

;Party breakdown

6th–7th Committees (7 November 1794 7 January 1795)

;Party breakdown

8th–9th Committees (7 January 5 March 1795)

;Party breakdown

10th–11th Committees (5 March 5 May 1795)

;Party breakdown

12th Committee (3 June 25 October 1795)

;Party breakdown

Use of the term during the Algerian War

During the

May 1958 crisis in France The May 1958 crisis (), also known as the Algiers putsch or the coup of 13 May, was a political crisis in France during the turmoil of the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962) which led to the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, Fourth ...

, an army junta under General

Jacques Massu Jacques Émile Massu (; 5 May 1908 – 26 October 2002) was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez Crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later ...

seized power in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

on the night of 13 May 1958 and

General Salan Raoul Albin Louis Salan (; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general and the founder of the Organisation armée secrète, a clandestine terrorist organisation that sought to maintain French Algeria by preventing Algerian independ ...

assumed leadership of a body calling itself the Committee of Public Safety.

Bibliography

# Tackett, Timothy (2015). ''The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution''. Cambridge, Mass: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 121. # Tackett, Timothy (2015). ''The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution''. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. pp. 121–122. # Tackett, Timothy (2015). ''The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution''. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 245. # Tackett, Timothy (2015). ''The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution''. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 313. # 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. # Tackett, Timothy (2015). ''The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution''. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 251.

Notes

References

* * * Linton, Marisa (2013). ''Choosing Terror: Virtue, Friendship and Authenticity in the French Revolution''. Oxford University Press. * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Committee of Public Safety Organizations established in 1793 1795 disestablishments 1793 events of the French Revolution 1794 events of the French Revolution French National Convention

Origins and evolution

Social climate of Revolutionary France

Committee of discussion

Execution of the Hébertists and Dantonists

Committee of rule

Fall of the Committee and aftermath

Composition

Committee of General Defence (25 March 6 April 1793)

1st Committee (6 April 10 July 1793)

2nd Committee (10 July 5 September 1793)

3rd Committee (5 September 1793 31 July 1794)

4th–5th Committees (1 September 7 November 1794)

6th–7th Committees (7 November 1794 7 January 1795)

8th–9th Committees (7 January 5 March 1795)

10th–11th Committees (5 March 5 May 1795)

12th Committee (3 June 25 October 1795)

Use of the term during the Algerian War

See also

Bibliography

Notes

References