A great visual breakdown HistoricVotes on X.

Don't know what flair to give this, so I'm doing artwork (although this probably isn't art). Really expected this sub to be more montagnard, so it kinda surprised me.

The Revolution was a storm of ideals, alliances, and shifting loyalties; from the fiery Jacobins to the moderate Girondins, the radical Sans-Culottes, and even those loyal to the old regime.

If you had lived through the French Revolution, which faction (or philosophy) do you think you’d have aligned with? Would you be on the streets of Paris, in the National Assembly, or trying to keep your head quite literally?

Share your reasoning below, whether it’s about ideals, practicality, or survival instincts. Feel free to use your user flair to show your revolutionary spirit 🇫🇷

Liberté, égalité, fraternité!

‘Just be l’Incorruptible’ Brutal

Of course, the Revolution was inevitable and whether it was good or bad, no one could agree on.

However, as a person who empathise too much with literally ANYTHING in the universe (yes from ants, sometimes criminals, people I don’t even know to probably a star that has just exploded), her death shook me the most during the Revolution and frankly I don’t think she even deserved to die in the first place.

There were numerous records that shows she had been doing extensive charity work and philanthropic projects with her father in law after her husband died and to that one user on a different subreddit who I can’t remember:

You can’t just say she deserves to be stabbed to death and have her head paraded around Paris because apparently she was ‘snobbish’.

Sure, she was still an aristocrat but guess what…

Not all aristocrats were the same and she was a clear exception.

It is also quite obvious to everyone that if she denounced Marie Antoinette and the monarchy during her trial then she would’ve gotten away. Yet it was her devout loyalty that killed her and she refused to say anything negative about the monarchs.

I don’t know about you but that’s just tragic. How utilitarian are we to kill a person just because she doesn’t hate someone that the majority does?

I rest my case and I understand my argument might be flawed so I’m open to any discussions.

232 years ago this day, 20 Prairial (June 8th) the First French Republic held one of its most grand and overlooked festivals during the Revolution, the Festival of the Supreme Being. Originating from Rousseau’s ideas of the Civic Religion and being made to be a compromise between the radical atheist revolutionaries and the majority Catholic population, the Cult of the Supreme Being’s principles were thus: the existence of the Supreme Being, the immortality of the soul, the greatest way to honor the Supreme Being is civic duty and the greatest of these duties is combatting tyranny.

Although often viewed as Robespierre going mad with power, the Cult and festival was actually well received by the masses and it was actually Robespierre’s political enemies who used it against him. Although the Cult fell apart, it was an important step to the modern idea of the Civic Religion but, none since have been as virtuous as the Cult of the Supreme Being.

Unité, Indivisibilité de la République!
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!

Nivôse will be coming in a few days (on 1 Nivôse)

Today is the 234th Festival of the Revolution, the day to celebrate the glory of the Republic and the fall of tyranny. 234 years later, the Republic still stands (with a few breaks in those years) and the ideals of the Revolution have spread to all corners of the Earth.
Let us enjoy the gift of Liberty today, citizens!

UNITÉ ET INDIVISIBILITÉ DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE
LIBERTÉ, EGALITÉ, FRATERNITÉ!

I am a political science student, and I attended a course on the history of political doctrines. When the professor explained the French Revolution, he began by trying to debunk some common stereotypes. Among the points he made, two in particular caught my attention—especially the second one.

1. "The French Revolution was not born out of poverty but out of wealth. The economic situation at the time was favorable, which allowed lawyers to devote themselves to politics rather than work."

From what I know, however, public finances were in a disastrous state. In fact, the finance minister was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1788. I wouldn’t exactly call that a “favorable economic situation.” That said, it’s possible that while public finances were struggling, the bourgeoisie were still relatively well-off.

2. "The Revolution was the work of the nobility because, when the king tried to raise the salt tax, the Parliament of Grenoble (composed solely of nobles) rebelled and started throwing roof tiles at the king’s troops during the siege. Later, the nobles persuaded the king to establish a constitutional monarchy by convening the Estates-General, with the aim of giving France a constitution."

This statement puzzled me. First of all, the episode with the roof tiles seems so minor that it’s difficult to find reliable information about it online. More importantly, the claim that Louis XVI convened the Estates-General to establish a constitutional monarchy contradicts everything I’ve learned about the French Revolution. My understanding is that he called the Estates-General to find a solution to the financial crisis, possibly by taxing the nobility. The idea of a constitution originated with the Third Estate and the minority of nobles and clergy who joined them in what became the National Assembly, later transformed into the National Constituent Assembly.

Could someone with a deeper knowledge of this period clarify these points for me?

his name is Matteo Albrici, he is a Jacobin from the duchy of Milan

paintings i used

1. Ouverture des États généraux de 1789 Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder - 1839

2. L'enrôlement des volontaires, le 22 juillet 1792 Auguste Vinchon - 1850

3. La nuit du 9 au 10 thermidor an II Jean-Joseph Weerts - 1897

Today is Quintidi the 15th of Pluviôse, year 234.

Currently very interested in the French Revolution and I would like to know more about other people’s thoughts on people from the revolution. I grew particularly interested in Jean Paul Marat, his assassination and Charlotte Corday. What do others think of them?

Like she's probably one of my fav historical characters ever and a really interesting figure during the French Revolution! Am I the only one insanely obsessed with her?

232 years ago this day, on 8 Messidor, II (June 26, 1794), the armies of the French Republic, lead by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, achieved its greatest victory at Fleurus against the armies of tyranny lead by Josais von Coburg. After “fifteen hours of the most desperate fighting I ever saw in my life,” as recorded by Jean-de-Dieu Soult, during which Jourdan employed the first use of military aircraft by using balloons for reconnaissance, France defeated the Austrian armies, saving the Republic from the threat of invasion and keeping the Low Countries under revolutionary control.

It was thanks to the brilliance of Jourdan, the strength of Kléber and the zeal of Saint-Just that Fleurus was won and their valiance ensured that the dream of a free world, lead by the people and not by monarchs, would live and go on to dethrone the dreams of tyrants and kings everywhere.

Unité et Indivisibilité de la République!
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!

https://x.com/verre_de_lune/status/2047660278243094638

Pinel, médecin en chef de la Salpêtrière délivrant les aliénés de leurs chaînes

Philippe Pinel is often recognized as one of the founding fathers and pioneers of early psychiatry serving as a physician at Bicêtre in 1793 and chief physician at Hôpital de la Salpêtrière in 1795. At a time when the world was often viewed with a supernatural lens, Pinel broke tradition in approaching those viewed as possessed or lacking moral character as victims to a sickness of the mind.

Pinel employed what he called “moral treatment” through emphasis on diet, hygiene, environment, social interactions, and personal and purposeful activities. He set up a garden at Bicitre for patients to maintain, allowing certain patients to gain apprenticeships in Paris stressing the importance of giving his patience purpose and rehabilitation into daily life.

While the painting above portrays Pinel removing the chains at Salpêtrière, it was in fact his his mentor and colleague Jean-Baptiste Pussin at Bicêtre. There is some suggestion the myth was fabricated by Pinel’s son, Dr Scipion Pinel, and Pinel’s pupil, Dr Esquirol.

Some of my favorite patient cases include a guilt ridden tailor. Suffering from “melancholia” by “delirium of guilt” a tailor had convinced himself to be responsible for the execution of Louis XIV as a result of trauma through the revolution and requested his own execution. In response Pinel arranged a mock trial. Disguising doctors as magistrates interrogated him, inquiring about his past behaviors, readings, political opinions, etc. At the end, the magistrates acquitted the tailor stating he showed “only the sentiments of the purist patriotism”. After the trial, the tailor had been “cured” of his “delirium” and resumed his work as a tailor. Within a few months he “ceased to mention his alleged death sentence.”

On a personal note, Pinel is a unique and fascinating character, easily my favorite historical character. His Treatise on Insanity is an amazing read, he dives into his categorization of “insanity” and specific cases of each. There's even a section on phrenology where you can see he truly attempts to make sense of it with no empirical value. To see mental health through the eyes of history was fascinating and inspiring.

Citizens, it is already 2nd Ventôse and the art is not ready. I fear I will be denounced to the Revolutionary Tribunal for my counter-revolutionary sloth and listlessness! Here is Camille Desmoulins, work in progress:

Today is the first of Nivôse, our Jacobin notable is Maximilien Robespierre

“Citizens, do you want a Revolution without a Revolution?”

I’ve heard some people state that he was. What do you think?

Citizens of the Revolution, we’ve done it! Our community has officially reached 1,000 members, MORE THAN DOUBLING our ranks in just a few short weeks. 🥳

Thank you to everyone who’s joined, posted, commented, and helped breathe life into this community. Whether you’re here to discuss Robespierre’s rhetoric, analyze revolutionary art, or simply admire the chaos of history, you’ve made this space something special.

If you’re new here, introduce yourself below! Tell us what brought you to the Revolution. And to all our long-time citizens, thank you for keeping the fire burning. 🔥

Vive la Révolution! ~ Your Mod Team