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.