Threshold of Terror

Paper Summary:

This paper describes how Allen provides a detailed account of the events of August 10, 1792, when the revolutionaries attacked the Tuileries Palace and delivered Louis XVI up to his trial and execution. It shows how he tells the story of that day beginning with some background on the Revolution itself, descriptions of the setting and the individuals most involved, and then detailing the events in chronological order, with commentary and explanation from the author to explain what he sees as the meaning of these events and their place in French history.

From the Paper:

"Allen begins with an assessment of the beginnings of the French Revolution, noting that Louis XVI had inherited the political system and failed to see how much opposition there was developing to it. The implication is that the revolution could have been bloodless, beginning as it did with the calling of a National Assembly and with discussion of the failures of the existing regime, leading to the creation of democratic representative government and the principle of social equality. These ideas galvanized the people of all classes and suggested to them that they could have much more than had been their due in the past. However, as Allen notes, "the Revolution became very much a continuation of the past in demanding political conformity" (1). Allen notes the particular value of the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his version of the social contract. Rousseau believed that the social order does not come from nature but from conventions. In the natural state, there is no social order because every individual has sovereignty over himself."

More papers on Threshold of Terror:

• Book Review # 29785 : "Threshold of Terror"
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