The Committee of Public Salvation ( Fr. Comité de salut public ) - one of the numerous committees of the National Convention of France , which by the autumn of 1793 had concentrated in its hands all the supreme power in revolutionary France - appointed and dismissed officials, ambassadors, generals in the acting army. Made decisions about arrests, managed a special financial fund. The decisions of the Committee were unconditionally approved by the Convention and became laws.
There are 4 stages of the Committee’s activities:
The National Security Committee ( January 1, 1793 - April 5, 1793 )
Created under the above name in conditions of war with Austria and Prussia and on the eve of the inevitable war with England, by the decree of the Convention of January 1, 1793 (initiated by the Girondist Kersen), in order to coordinate military and diplomatic activities. Originally consisted of 18 people, mostly Girondins ( Brisso , Jansonne , Gade , Boyer-Fanfred, Petion , Kersen). Also in its composition can be noted such well-known persons as Sieyes , Barer , Cambon . Its chairmen were: Kersen (from January 3, 1793 ), Petion (from March 4, 1793 ), Gade (from March 19, 1793 ). [1] Due to the large number of members and the regular public debate, this Committee did not achieve its goals. After the defeats of the French army at Aachen and Neerwinden ( March 18, 1793 ), a decision was made to reorganize it.
By the Decree of the Convention of March 25, 1793 , the composition of the Committee was increased to 25 people, the purpose of its activities was established - “to develop and propose all laws and measures necessary for the external and internal protection of the republic”. Ministers were required to report to the Committee weekly. Part of the executive power was actually transferred to the Committee.
In the new composition of the Committee, the representation of the Girondins and the Montagnards was almost equal:
Montanyar - Danton , Robespierre , Fabre d'Eglantin , Camille Desmoulins , Guiton de Morvo , Ruehl, Brear , Prieur (from the Marne) .
Girondins - Pétion , Jansonne , Barbara , Vernio , Buzot , Gade , Inard , Lasares, Condorcet .
“Neutrals” - Dubois Crans , Delmas , Barere , Jean de Brie , Cambaceres , Siyes , Camus , Kinet .
Guiton de Morvo was chosen as the Chairman of the Committee.
Crowded, party-heterogeneous, meeting at the open door, the Committee was ineffective and after betrayal Dumouriez himself suggested replacing it with another body. Such a body was the Committee of Public Safety.
First Committee of Public Safety (Danton Committee) (April 6, 1793 - July 1793)
Created by the decree of the Convention of April 6, 1793 instead of the National Protection Committee. Originally consisted of 9 members: Barer, Delmas, Brear, Cambon , Danton , Guiton de Morvo , Trellier , Delacroix, Robert Landde . The composition of the Committee was elected for a period of 1 month, but changes occurred only on voting on June 5, 1793 — Brear was replaced by Berlie, Robert Landde by Jean-Bonbon Saint-Andre, and Trellier by Gasparin. On the same day Eero de Séchelles , Ramel, Couton , Saint-Just and Mathieu became permanent members of the Committee, who on May 30, 1793 were temporarily included in the Committee to edit the draft Constitution. On June 22, Mathieu was replaced by Robert Land.
On April 7, 1793 , Guiton de Morvo was elected the chairman of the Committee, but this appointment remained on paper. In the future, neither the first committee nor the second had a chairman, all its members formally had equal rights.
The committee met daily in private, acted as an executive, giving direct orders to civil and military officials. He sent commissars to the army, corresponded with them, supervised diplomacy. The real head of the Committee was Danton.
But the diplomatic failures of the 1st Committee, the defeat during the suppression of the Vandeysk uprising and the “federalist” insurgency, led to its downfall. In July 1793 the Committee was once again reorganized.
On July 10, by the decree of the Convention, the number of members of the Committee of Public Safety was reduced to 9. Danton was excluded from its composition. Stayed Jeanbon Saint-André , Barer, Gasparin, Cuton, Eero de Séchelles, Saint-Just, Robert Landde, who were joined by Türio and Pririer (from Marne). July 27, 1793 in connection with the disease Gasparin was replaced by Robespierre .
The Second Committee of Public Safety (the Robespierre Committee or the "Great" Committee) (July 1793 - July 27, 1794)
After Robespierre was elected to the Committee on July 27, 1793 , the Committee gradually became the center of all power in revolutionary France, and Robespierre became the recognized head of the Committee. The composition of the “Great” Committee of Public Salvation was finally determined by the beginning of the autumn of 1793 . On August 14, 1793, Carnot and Pririer (from Côte d'Or) were joined to the Committee. On September 6, 1793, Billot-Varenne and Collot d'Erbois joined the Committee (without accepting appointments to the Committee of Danton and Granet). On September 20, 1793, Thürio resigned. It was from this time that the composition of the Committee (12 people) was finally determined, which was responsible for carrying out the Jacobin terror and who actually ruled revolutionary France until the coup of 9 Thermidor II ( July 27, 1794 ):
- Robespierre ,
- Cuton ,
- Saint-Just ,
- Jeanbon Saint André ,
- Barer ,
- Robert Land ,
- Prieur (from the Marne) ,
- Prior (from Côte d'Or) ,
- Carnot
- Biyo Varenne ,
- Collot d'Erbua ,
- Herault de Seshel .
Later, Hérault de Séchel was suspected by his colleagues of treason, and since November 1793 he was no longer invited to attend Committee meetings. On March 17, 1794 , he was arrested and on April 5, 1794, was executed on the guillotine. Actually, secret political information was leaking from the Committee, but according to the documents of the royalist spy organization Paris Agency d'Antregu, which have come down to our day, the agent of the monarchists was rather not Eero de Séchelles, but Carnot . [2]
A certain specialization was established among the members of the Committee. Robespierre was in charge of police measures (arrests, releases from prisons, reports of agents) and general policy, where Couton helped him. Saint-Just also oversaw the police and carried out missions to the army. Karno was engaged only in the army, planning military operations, appointment and dismissal of officers. Prieur (from Côte-d'Or) dealt with armaments and artillery, and Robert Land, with supply and food. Diplomacy was managed by Barer and Herault de Séchelles. Jeanbon Saint-André became practically the Minister of the Navy of the Republic. Correspondence of the Committee, including with the Commissioners of the Convention, was entrusted to Billot-Varenna and Collo d'Erbois. Finally, Prieur (from Marna) was a “traveling” member of the Committee, so to speak - he was constantly in missions.
The powers of the Committee were constantly expanded, and this process was formalized by the relevant decrees of the Convention:
On July 28, 1793 , the Committee received the right to issue orders for summoning and arresting suspected and accused persons.
On August 2, 1793 , the Committee received the right to use a special fund in the amount of 50 million livres without any restrictions and report to the Convention. The Committee spent these funds on subsidies to newspapers and national clubs, hiring agents and couriers, paying rewards for secret services.
On September 13, 1793 , the Committee received the right to compile and submit for voting to the Convention lists of candidates for all other committees and commissions of the Convention, including the Public Security Committee .
On October 10, 1793 , the Provisional Executive Council, ministers, generals and all government agencies were transferred under the supervision of the Committee. Generals were appointed by the Convention only on the recommendation of the Committee.
From November 25, 1793 , the deputies of the Convention who are in missions were obliged to obey the instructions of the Committee and report to it.
On December 4, 1793 , the Convention’s decree granted the Committee the right to dismiss officials and handed over to it general leadership in the field of diplomacy.
On March 10, 1794 , the Committee finally “usurped” foreign policy activities — it received the right to directly enter into correspondence with foreign governments, as well as the right to sign credentials of the envoys of the republic, to give them instructions and instructions.
On March 13, 1794 , the Committee received the right to replace the officials who had been removed from their posts.
The power of the Public Rescue Committee was limited to only one area - the police, where he shared rights and duties with the General Security Committee . All decisions to arrest the most important political figures of the period ( Danton , Camille Desmoulins , Delacroix and others) were taken at joint meetings of the two Committees, and sometimes the Committee of General Security took the initiative to carry out punitive measures (arrest on 3 October 1793 of 65 deputies of the Convention , supported the Girondins ).
There was no unity among the members of the Committee, which was illustrated above by the example of the fate of Eero de Séchelles . By the summer of 1794, the struggle within the Committee of Public Salvation escalated to the limit, the triumvirate of Robespierre - Saint-Just - Couton was openly opposed by Billot-Varenne and Collot d'Erbois (extreme terrorists, future left Thermidorians ), Carnot (moderate) and Barer. These persons in the Public Rescue Committee, opponents of Robespierre in the General Security Committee ( Amar , Vadier, Voulan) and in the Convention ( Barras , Talien , Fouche ) organized the overthrow of Robespierre 9 Thermidor II ( July 27, 1794 ). The next day, Robespierre, Saint-Just, and Couton were executed.
The Thermidorian Committee of Public Safety ( July 28, 1794 - October 26, 1795 )
After 9 Thermidor, the Committee of Public Safety was radically reorganized. The committee was deprived of most of its powers, it left only military affairs and diplomacy. At the beginning it consisted of 12 people, later - of 16. In order to avoid the recurrence of the usurpation of power in the hands of several people, the rotation rule was strictly followed and a quarter of its members were updated monthly. At the same time, members of the Committee could not be elected to the membership of any other committee or be re-elected to the members of the same Committee earlier than one month after the release. Over the last year of the Committee’s activities more than 60 deputies of the Convention passed through it.
The committee ceased its activities on the day of the dissolution of the Convention - October 26, 1795 .
Notes
- ↑ Olar A. The political history of the French Revolution. - Moscow: OGIZ, 1938. - p. 403.
- ↑ Chernyak E. B. “The Past Conspiracies”, M, International Relations, 1994, p. 392
Literature
- Buluazo M. Committee of Public Safety (translation from French)
- Carlyle T. The History of the French Revolution. Per. from English Yu. V. Dubrovin and E. A. Melnikova (part I). M .; Thought, 1991.
- Kropotkin P.A. The Great French Revolution. 1789-1793. M., 1979.
- Manfred A. The Great French Revolution. M., 1983.
- Olar A. Political history of the French Revolution. M .: OGIZ, 1938.