Establishment of the Committee of Public Safety
- When
- 1793
- Where
- National Convention, Paris
- Episodes
- 3
The Committee of Public Safety was created by the National Convention on 6 April 1793, following a proposal by Bertrand Barère, supplementing the Committee of General Defence. Charged with defending the republic against foreign and domestic enemies, it initially operated under Georges Danton's leadership before being restructured in July 1793, when Danton was excluded and Robespierre joined.
Episodes
- Creation of the Committee of Public Safety
The National Convention created the Committee of Public Safety on 6 April 1793 after Barère's proposal, to defend the republic.
- Danton's Leadership and Exclusion
Danton led the committee through the Girondin expulsion and the Vendée war, but was excluded when it was recomposed on 10 July 1793.
- Robespierre Elected to the Committee
On 27 July 1793 Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the committee, replacing Gasparin.
Background and detail
Background. In early 1793 the National Convention faced the First Coalition of European powers and the Vendée revolt. The Committee of General Defence, created in early January 1793, proved insufficient, and on 18 March Bertrand Barère proposed a new body to protect the republic against its foreign and domestic enemies.
Establishment and Danton's Leadership. The Committee of Public Safety was created on 6 April 1793 by the National Convention. Georges Danton steered the committee through the journées of 31 May and 2 June 1793, which 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.
Later Restructuring. On 27 July 1793, Maximilien Robespierre was elected to the committee, replacing Gasparin. The committee was restructured in July and later raised the levée en masse against the monarchist coalition and counter-revolutionary forces, growing increasingly powerful. In December 1793 the Convention formally conferred executive power upon it.
People involved
- Georges Danton · De facto leader of the committee from its establishment; steered it through the Girondin expulsion and the Vendée war, and was excluded upon its recomposition on 10 July 1793
- Bertrand Barère · Proposed the committee's creation on 18 March 1793
- Maximilien Robespierre · Elected to the committee on 27 July 1793, replacing Gasparin
Sources
- Committee of Public Safety Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.