"Threshold of Terror"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Rodney Allen's book "Threshold of Terror: The Last Hours of the Monarchy in the French Revolution" 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 analyzes how this date is seen by Allen as more significant than the better-known July 14, 1789, the day the Bastille was stormed. It looks at how Allen tells the story of that day beginning with some background on the Revolution itself with descriptions of the setting and the individuals most involved. It shows how it then details 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 explains the structure of Paris, noting how it was divided into 487 sections for electoral purposes and how different sections became controlled by different factions. The sections controlled by the Jacobins, for instance, agitated for further revolutionary change, demanding that the king be dethroned and giving specific dates by when this should be accomplished if an uprising was to be averted. The Girondins had been protecting the king, but they now advised that they would not be able to do so if there were an uprising. Advisers told the king he should flee from Paris, which he almost did. in the end, though, events came to a culmination on August 10, 1792, and any effort to flee was simply too late."

More papers on "Threshold of Terror":

• Book Review # 29785 : "Threshold of Terror"
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