Jacobins and the French Revolution

In France, during 1780s, there was a king named Louis XVI. He ruled over a kingdom divided into three classes: the nobility, the clergy, and the common people. The common people, known as the Third Estate, were burdened with heavy taxes and had little to no rights.

Unrest began to simmer among the people, fueled by economic hardship and a desire for equality. The spark that ignited the flame was the storming of the Bastille, a prison that symbolised the oppressive power of the monarchy. On July 14, 1789, a crowd of angry citizens stormed the Bastille, which we call the beginning of the French Revolution.

In the tumultuous years of the French Revolution, a powerful political faction emerged, known as the Jacobins. They were a group of radical revolutionaries who sought to transform France into a republic based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

The Jacobins were initially part of a larger political club, called the Society of the Friends of the Constitution (funny name), but they soon became a dominant force within it. Their name derived from the location of their meeting place, the Jacobin Club, which was situated in a former Dominican convent in Paris.

Led by "charismatic" figures like Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, and Jean-Paul Marat, the Jacobins advocated for a radical overhaul of French society. They rejected the traditional social hierarchy and wanted to establish a new order based on equality.

But you also've been taught about the famous guillotine. Everyone knows that Robespierre made from France an entire butchery, oh well him and his Jacobins played a crucial role in the overthrow of Louis XVI and the establishment of the First French Republic. They were also instrumental in the implementation of the Realm of Terror, a period of intense violence and repression aimed at eliminating those who opposed their revolutionary agenda. Despite using literal guillotines to execute the opponents, Jacobins established a powerful Committee of Public Safety. This committee was killing everyone accused of "disloyalty", but I find the name pretty strange since a large amount of people were sent to the guillotine. To make things look worse, there were many revolutionaries aswell, which is deadly confusing, nevertheless I don't have an answer to this.

Let's make things terryfing now; Let's say I'm a French living in a great house with my family and I've upset my neighbour because my children played in his garden. The neighbour can go to the Jacobins (indirectly) and accuse me of treason. If someone does that to you, it's pretty easy to figure out how you'll end up; being sent to the guillotine. As long as someone says I'm unloyal, Jacobins do not need proof that I am or I am not, but I'm simply being beheaded.

However, the Jacobins' reign of terror didn't last long. Internal divisions within the party and public discontent with their policies led to their downfall. In 1794, Robespierre was arrested and executed, marking the end of the Jacobins' dominance. I estimate 40,000 casualties in this Revolution.

War tactics explained in 5 MINUTES

 1. Foxholes

Foxholes are hiding places that soldiers use when they're fighting. They dig them in the ground to protect themselves from bullets and bombs.

Imagine you're playing hide-and-seek, but instead of hiding behind a tree or in a bush, you dig a hole in the dirt and hide there. That's kind of like a foxhole. Soldiers use them to stay safe while they're fighting.

2. Salvo

A salvo is like a big burst of fireworks all going off at once. Instead of fireworks, though, soldiers sometimes shoot many guns or cannons at the same time. It's like a big, loud surprise attack.

3. Sniper trap

A sniper trap is a tactic used to counter a sniper's position. It involves creating a situation that forces the sniper to reveal their location or take a risky action. How does this work? You either place objects that resemble human targets, such as mannequins or dummies, in strategic locations to draw the sniper's attention or create loud noises or distractions to draw the sniper's attention away from their position. The goal of a sniper trap is to force the sniper to either move from their position, which can expose them to counter-fire, or to take a risky shot that can be detected.

4. Recon by fire

The goal of recon by fire is to gather intelligence about the enemy without risking a full-scale engagement. However, it can be a dangerous tactic as it can lead to casualties on both sides. Basically, it's when an unit uses live ammo to gain information or disrupt enemy activities. It involves firing small arms or artillery rounds into a suspected enemy area to provoke a reaction, such as revealing their positions or drawing fire.

5. The famous blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg is like a really fast and powerful attack. It's like a super-fast race where soldiers use tanks and airplanes to move quickly and surprise their enemies. It's a bit like playing hide-and-seek, but instead of hiding, the soldiers are trying to find and defeat their enemies as quickly as possible. Actually, almost every war tactic can be associated with "hide and seek" for some reason.

6. Siege

You may have heard about sieges in your history book(s), but what is that? The people inside a city or castle are trying to hide, while the people outside are trying to find them and get them out.

The people outside, called the besiegers, surround the city/castle and try to block everyone from going in or out. They might build big walls or towers to keep the people inside from escaping. They might also use big machines to break down the walls of the city or castle.

The people inside, called the defenders, try to keep the besiegers out. They might build their own walls or towers to protect themselves. They might also use weapons like bows and arrows to try to scare the besiegers away.

The siege usually ends when one side gives up. Sometimes, the defenders might run out of food or water and have to surrender. Other times, the besiegers might get tired or lose too many soldiers and decide to give up.

7. Creeping barrage

You might have seen this one in movies; Creeping barrage is like a big, moving wall of fire. Imagine a long line of soldiers, each holding a torch. They walk forward slowly, lighting up the ground in front of them. This makes it hard for the enemy to hide or attack.

In a war, soldiers use big guns instead of torches to create a creeping barrage. They shoot lots of bullets and shells in a line, moving forward slowly. This makes it hard for the enemy to move or attack, so the soldiers can move forward safely.

Comprehend that here I haven't presented ALL military tactics since they can't be counted on fingers (there are a lot).

Components of a rifle (all explained)

Basic Components of a Rifle:

• Barrel: The tube through which the bullet travels.
• Chamber: The part of the barrel where the cartridge sits before firing.
• Action: The mechanism that loads, fires, and extracts the cartridge.
• Trigger: The device that initiates the firing process.
• Stock: The wooden or synthetic part that provides support and stability.

The Firing Cycle:

1. Loading: A cartridge is placed into the chamber.
2. Locking: The action ensures the cartridge is securely in place.
3. Hammer (or striker) cocking: The mechanism that strikes the primer is raised to a cocked position.
4. Trigger pull: When the trigger is pulled, it releases the hammer or striker.
5. Primer ignition: The hammer or striker strikes the primer, causing it to ignite.
6. Powder ignition: The ignited primer ignites the gunpowder in the cartridge.
7. Bullet propulsion: The expanding gases from the burning gunpowder force the bullet out of the barrel.
8. Ejection: The spent cartridge is ejected from the rifle.

Now I'll explain the process oversimplified + the elements I haven't specified:

The barrel is the long, skinny part where the bullet comes out. It's like the barrel of a water gun.

The chamber is the part inside the barrel where the bullet sits before it's fired. It's like the part of a water gun where the water sits.

The action is the part that makes the rifle work. It's like the trigger on a toy car.

The trigger is the part you pull to make the rifle go bang. It's like the button on a remote control.

The stock is the part you hold onto. It's like the handle on a suitcase.

A primer is like a tiny spark plug.

• In a rifle, the primer is a small metal cup filled with a special kind of powder.
• When you pull the trigger, it hits the primer and makes it go spark.
• This spark lights the gunpowder in the bullet, which makes the bullet go bang and fly out of the rifle.

So, the primer is like the starting point for the whole shooting process.

The riffle also contains a flash suppresor. A flash suppressor is a device attached to the end of a rifle's barrel. It helps to reduce the visible muzzle flash that occurs when the gun is fired.

Why do we want to reduce muzzle flash?

• Safety: It can help to prevent night vision devices from being blinded.
• Tactical advantage: It can make it harder for the enemy to pinpoint the shooter's location.

How does it work?

• Diverting gases: It directs the gases from the explosion away from the end of the barrel, reducing the amount of light that is produced.
• Cooling gases: It can also help to cool the gases, which can also reduce the brightness of the flash.

Think of it like a muffler for a car. A muffler reduces the noise of the engine, while a flash suppressor reduces the flash of the gun.

A cocking piece is like the spring on a toy gun.

• When you pull the trigger on a toy gun, the spring gets stretched.
• This stretched spring helps the gun shoot the bullet.

In a real rifle, the cocking piece is a part that helps to prepare the rifle to fire. It's like the spring that helps the toy gun work.

This is our rifle,

Rifle with the breech highlighted

The breech is the part of the rifle where the bullet goes in. It's like the part of it where you put the bullet.

When you load a rifle, you put the bullet into the breech. Then, you pull the trigger and the bullet shoots out.

The barrel nut is an important piece of the rifle because it keeps the barrel from moving around when you shoot with the rifle.

The front sight housing is like a little stand that holds the front sight. It's like the stand that holds the flag on a flagpole.

The front sight is the part you look through to aim the rifle. It's like the peephole on a door.

So, the front sight housing is important because it helps you aim the rifle correctly.

If you want, you can check a very similar post about guns in general and their mechanism here!

Are you interested in weapons but don't know anything about them?

 I recommend you that if you are not an english native speaker to translate this page into your own language. Unfortunately, Google Translate is always translating very bad((

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Imagine a gun is like a tiny firework launcher.

Inside the gun, there's a special tube called a barrel. This is where the firework (or in this case, a bullet) travels.

There's also a chamber at the end of the barrel where the firework (bullet) sits before it's launched.

When you pull the trigger, it makes a firing pin hit a tiny, explosive thing called a primer. This primer goes boom and starts a fire.

The fire makes a powder inside the bullet go boom too. This big boom pushes the bullet out of the barrel and makes it fly really fast.

That's how a gun works! It's like a tiny firework launcher that shoots bullets instead of fireworks. I'm gonna explain all these "new words" later in this post.

Let's take a simple firearm like a pistol as an example. When you fire, a firing pin hits a staple that ignites the powder in the cartridge. The powder explosion creates enormous pressure, which pushes the bullet through the barrel and propels it to a very high velocity.

The stapler is a small, metal device found inside a gun cartridge. It contains an explosive substance sensitive to shock. When a pin hits the staple, it explodes, igniting the powder in the cartridge and propelling the bullet.

The firing pin (hammerstone) is a metal part of the trigger mechanism of a firearm. It is usually an L-shaped piece that moves in a groove. When pulled, the pin moves and hits the stapler, thus triggering the firing process.

A gun cartridge is a complete unit of ammunition that contains all the components necessary to fire a bullet from a firearm. These components include:

Casing: A metal covering that protects the other components and holds them together.

Gunpowder: An explosive material that generates the energy needed to propel the bullet.

Stapler: A small, metallic device containing a shock-sensitive explosive substance.

Bullet: The metal projectile that is propelled from the firearm.

It is basically the element that activates the firing mechanism when the trigger is pulled.

It is an essential component of firearms because it allows the firing process to be initiated.

?cm in the context of a rifle refers to the barrel length of that rifle.

The barrel is the cylindrical part of the rifle through which the projectile passes. The length of the pipes can influence:

Projectile Velocity: Longer barrels can accelerate the projectile more before releasing it.

Accuracy: Longer barrels can provide or greater accuracy due to the longer time the projectile is guided.

Power: Longer barrels can allow more energy to build up before releasing the projectile, which can result in more impact power.

So a ?cm rifle has barrels that are ?centimeters long.

When talking about the dimensions of a rifle, it is very important to distinguish between the length of the barrels and their diameter.

The length of the barrels (eg 42cm), as mentioned before, influences the speed, accuracy and power of the projectile.

Barrel diameter, on the other hand, refers to the thickness of the hole through which the projectile passes. This is measured in calibers and determines the type of ammunition the rifle can use.

Why is it important to know both measurements?

Barrel length tells us how long the active part of the rifle is through which the bullet is accelerated.

The diameter of the barrel tells us how thick the bullet is that the rifle can use.

An example:

If you have a shotgun with a 16 inch barrel and caliber .308 Winchester, this means that:

The pipe is 42 centimeters long.

The inside diameter of the barrels is .308 inch (about 7.82 mm), which means it can use .308 Winchester caliber ammunition.

 

.308 Winchester ammunition

Key features:

• Caliber: .308 inches (7.62 millimeters)
• Case type: Bottleneck, rimless
• Primer: Large rifle primer
• Common bullet weights: 140-180 grains
• Applications: Hunting, target shooting, military, law enforcement

.308 Winchester is a popular rifle cartridge known for its versatility, accuracy, and power. It's widely used for hunting medium to large game, target shooting, and military applications.

A primer is a small, explosive device that is placed in the base of a cartridge to initiate the ignition of the propellant. It's essentially a tiny explosive charge that is sensitive to shock or heat.

When the firing pin of a firearm strikes the primer, it creates a shock wave that ignites the primer. This in turn ignites the propellant, which generates the pressure needed to propel the bullet out of the barrel.

Think of a primer like a spark plug in a car. It's the essential component that starts the combustion process.

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Keywords:

- primer

- firing pin

- cartridge

- bullet

- barrel

- stapler

If you want better explanation or a better overview on the pieces of a rifle, you can check here!

What's the difference among shells, howitzers and cartridges?

Shell vs. Howitzer: A Clarification

Shell and howitzer are two different concepts, although they are related.

Shell: It is a type of explosive projectile used in artillery. It is designed to explode in mid-air or on impact, releasing metal fragments and a shock wave.

Howitzer: It is a type of artillery weapon that specialises in firing shells. Howitzers are characterised by a higher firing angle than cannons, which allows them to fire shells on curved trajectories.

Essentially, a howitzer is the weapon that fires the shells.

To summarise:

Shell = Explosive projectile.

Howitzer = Artillery weapon that fires shells.

Other common mistakes:

Shells vs Cartridges: They are not the same thing. IN essence:

Shells typically refer to the complete ammunition unit that is fired from a weapon. This includes the projectile, the propellant, and the primer. In other words, a shell is the entire package that is loaded into the chamber of a gun.

Cartridges can refer to the same thing as a shell, but they are more commonly used to describe the metal casing that holds the projectile, propellant, and primer together. In this sense, a cartridge is like a container for the ammunition.

Basically:

World War I Era Shells, Howitzers, and Cartridges

World War I Shell:

World War I shell

• These shells were often made of steel and filled with explosives like TNT or high explosive. They were used in various artillery pieces like howitzers

World War I Howitzer

World War I howitzer

• These artillery pieces were characterised by their shorter barrels and higher elevation angles that allowed them to shoot shells over obstacles and into trenches. The French 75mm field howitzer was a famous example.

World War I Cartridge:

World War I rifle cartridge

Attention - pictures are from Google, they're not mine.

Treaty of Versailles explained

 The Treaty of Versailles was a peace 'paper' that ended World War I in an official way, and it was signed in 1919 by the winners, Allied Powers (Entente), Britain, France, US, Italy, and others) and defeated Germany.

The treaty was very harsh on Germany. It forced Germany to:

• Pay a lot of money to the Allied Powers as reparations for the war
• Give up some of its land to other countries (some of the occupied land of course)
• Reduce the size of its army and navy. The army was reduced to 100'000 people!
• Accept responsibility for starting the war.

These harsh terms made many Germans angry and resentful. They felt that the treaty was unfair and that Germany had been punished too severley. This resentment'd later contribute to the rise of the Third Reich, and lead to World War II. But about that I'm gonna talk in another post, not this.

"Pay a lot of money" means that Germany had to give a large sum of money to Entente as a punishment for starting the war. This money was meant to make up for the damage the war had caused to the Allied countries. It was a very large amount of money, and it was difficult for Germany to pay it back. Due to that, Germany's economy has incredibly fallen down at the ground. As a result, Germany had hyperinflation in the early 1920s. This means that the value of the German currency (the mark) decreased rapidly. Prices for goods and services rose very quickly, and people lost their savings. This made it difficult for people to afford basic necessities like food and housing.

The hyperinflation crisis eventually led to political instability and the rise of the National Socialist Party. It promised to solve Germany's economic problems, and surprisingly, they were able to gain popular support by blaming the Treaty of Versailles for the country's difficulties. They ACTUALLY fixed the economic problems in Germany during the interbellic period and WWII.

Alsace Lorraine,This region was returned to France, which had lost it to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. France was actually angry for not having it during WWI..

Parts of Poland: Germany lost territories in the east, which were used to create the new Polish state.

Saarland: This region was placed under French admin for 15 years and then held a plebiscite to determine its future. It also became part of France.

Danzig, it and its surrounding territory became a free city under the League of Nations, but it was located within Germany's borders.

Memel,This region was transferred to Lithuania.

I'm surprised that they didn't expect any failure in the whole meaning of Versailles Treaty, because it was incredibly severe and Germans couldn't just let things flow like that.

The Christmas Truce explained

 The Christmas Truce is a great event of 1914.

In the Christmas Eve of 1914, while World War I was ongoing, the Germans stopped the fire and then got out their trenches, to wish the English "Merry Christmas". They sang carols and exchanged gifts and cakes.

"I was in the trenches Christmas Eve day and Boxing day. The Germans had all along their trenches Christmas trees and big fires all alight, making a pretty sight. They were singing carols at the top of their voices, and so were we, when daylight came, a German soldier came over to our trenches and say, 'English soldier, may I come near, do not shoot me,' so we said 'No.' He said that the German soldiers wished the English soldiers a merry Christmas. We wished them the same. Then we went and shok hands with some of them, exchanged cigarettes and little things." 

-Letter from an English Soldier

There are more letters saying that the English asked Germans if they're tired of war, and they said 'Yea!...Something like that..!', or that they played football in the neutral zone during the truce.

Unfortunately, governments banned information about these things. It also never took place again, because the British high command dreaded that homogeneous event could undercut confidence and erode the rivalry among German and British troops.

In the wake of the events of the Christmas Truce, there was a repression by the military higher-ups of the both forces. They tried everything possible to ensure that it'll never happen again.
In my opinion, it's really sad that the rivals can't unite at least for Christmas, like they did in the magical Christmas of 1914.

The Christmas truce mainly happened between the British and German because the land they were fighting for meant nothing to them. Ypres is Belgian, not German nor British.

The division of Germany explained

 You know World War Two ended in 1945, right?
Well, after that, of course the winners didn't let the things flow like nothing happened.
At the end of World War I, the Allied powers concluded one thousand treaties with the loser team. This time it was different.
Soviet Union, Britain, US and France were the winners of World War Two so they could play as much as they want with the borders of their number one enemy, Germany. But USSR did more than take a part from Germany for itself.
Soviet said "This part of Europe is mine" and drew with the pen a line that divides Europe in two halves. But Germany was divided in two parts unlike other countries. In 1961, the Soviets LITERALLY rose up an entire wall, "fortifying" the border of East Germany and West Germany.
East Germany became a sad, grey and communist country and West Germany was a capitalist federal country.
Soviets played soo much with East German minds and thought they could brainwash them, that they had no right to say their thoughts or even think of individualism or stuff like that. West is a lie, comrades!
In my post "And...what's it like in East Germany?" I explained how the life of an average East German is like.

And..what's it like in East Germany?

 Did you ever imagine how is it to be born in East Germany?

Probably your history teacher or I dont know, parents, told you stuff like "They couldnt do what they want, "You'd have no bananas there!" or "You went in Greece and Turkey and they couldn't visit even GFR" etc.

Despite all of this being true, there's more to know about it.

First of all, East Germany was land locked.

Whoever was caught wanting to "evade" the dark communist country was instantly shot by the border guards.

You'll say "Stop! But they weren't everywhere, were they?"

I'll say "You stop! You see, in august1961 the east german "power" surrounded the border of East Germany with barbed wire, and later since people could easily avoid that and just evade like they did before, they built and rose up a huge wall made from concrete. The barbed wire was still there, and the part that was separating it from the wall was called "The death strip".

Now lets dive into the life of an east german.

Lets say i live somewhere in berlin, at the border of the wall or in a block of flats close to it.

I'm not allowed to look at the other side of the wall (west), im asked if im interested over something happening there constantly.

school children organise pioneer meetings whenever theres an occasion for that.

my teachers tell me the individualism is a lie constantly.

I go to the shop and try find some food, instead i find cheap meat and mostly empty shelves. if you cant imagine yourself for a week without eating a banana, well here people could buy one only from the dark market!

When i return home i ask my neighbour "hey man, hows it going?" and they reply "oh, i hate everything! I cant eat exotic food and constatly getting told that west is shit!".

there are two fates for him: either some informators who heard this tell Stasi and it arrests them and terminates all their chances in life, or i reply "hmm okay i guess" and nothing happens to him.

Stasi is the german security system, and every boy who just turned 18 is demanded to report themselves to the barracks and get recruited in the stasi system / army.

The informators are, well, a pretty interesting topic to talk about.

Basically, these people are very, very, deadly well paid by the state to send them informations about whata going on around. Like if i go right now in the park and complain about east german living style, or about the closed borders and if the informator is in the park too, the informator runs to the state and tells them who i am, what i did wrong and then when i less expect i wake up with stasi in my flat telling me that i have to go with them at the police to examine this case, and then i get arrested.

So whenever i talk to people, i have to make sure i choose my words well.

But what happens to people who promote the so called "free speech" or "open borders"?

As i said, you either get arrested, or killed in the front of your flat's door.

you get shot, like dont expect some fine torture like in the acient times, but im not sure about that one. just i know officers and stasi people had guns with themselves everywhere.

Better, if you dont get shot or arrested, you wake up with microphones in your home, sometimes not informed about it. Not you, but Government owns your little littly flat.

 Government also owns your land.

What?

I am an agriculturist or simply, farmer. I want to have some aubergines, tomatoes and other vegetables for winter.

Lets say all of this recolt is 100%. In east germany, a little BIG part was going to the government, like 70%, and the rest was for you (or less). The government says "but you do this for the government, not for yourself. we are glad that were gonna share OUR recolt with you :D)

In another post i will be open to explain about the existence of east germany. Like, youre gonna say, east germany's a thing but why?