Violence in Versailles

Anna Chiprean

In this paper I seek to discuss the most violent period during the French Revolution. Even
before the French Revolution started there was violence throughout the kingdom between the
estates rights and privileges. I argue that the Reign of Terror was the most violent period during
the French Revolution. The Reign of Terror was a short, but very deadly period of time in
history. During the Reign of Terror, people were killed and thrown in jail for speaking out against
the French Monarchy. The Reign of Terror consumed the lives of King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, the king and queen of France. I will prove this by expanding on the details of the
Reign of Terror, the storming of the Bastille, and the womens march. In addition to this, I will be
including the statics of the population and the deaths of the French people.
First I seek to discuss the details of the Reign of Terror and how violent it really was.
Next I will discuss the events of the storming of the Bastille, the womens march on Versailles,
and statistics of the population and deaths of the French people will be included. The French La
Terruer, the most violent period during the French Revolution, was short, but extremely bloody.
Starting September 5, 1993 and ending July 27, 1994, the Reign of terror took the lives of over
thirty thousand people. The Reign of Terror was designed to fight enemies of the French
Revolution. Most people however, were not aristocrats, but ordinary people in the community.
According to History Wiz, Maximillian Robespierre said Terror is nothing other than justice,
prompt, severe, inflexible, Softness to traitors will destroy all. The Reign of Terror beheaded
the people against the French Revolution by guillotine. Heads were placed on posts and crowds
shouted at the fall of the French Monarchy. The 14th of July, 1789, the start of the French

Revolution began. The storming of the Bastille kicked off the fireworks of terror throughout the
kingdom. The people of Paris finally decided to fight back by storming the Bastille and taking all
of its ammo that it contained. Few people died from this and it was only from miscommunication
and accidental shootings. One man was stabbed on purpose however. On October 5, 1789, the
women (and some men) of Paris, all gathered together and stormed Versailles. They demanded to
see the bakers and some even made it into the palce. Once they made it into the palace, they
stormed Marie Antoinettes housing quarters where they almost killed her. No people actually
died from violence during the march on Versailles, but some did die from lack of nutrition and
dehydration. The King and Queen of France, Louis XVI and Marie Antimonite, later died by
guillotine, and so did the monarchy.
The French Revolution endured many difficulties and deaths. From the fall of the French
Monarchy to the beginning of the Revolution, blood was spilled. The most blood was spilled
during the Reign of Terror. Guillotines beheading people left and right and the royalists falling to
the ground. During the French Revolution Frances population decreased significantly. From the
lack of money which led to the poor getting poorer, to the Reign of Terror, the population of
France decreased almost by half. Without the French Revolution, would the world be under the
reign of a monarchy? Without the Reign of Terror would the population of France still be down
or would it be outrageous? What we need to realize now, is that the Reign of Terror was one of
the most violent times during the French Revolution, but also in all of French History.