What Other Interpretations of the Terror Did the Contest Between Babboof and the Directory Crowd Out?

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During the terror, a couple of different things happened. There was this democratic constitution that was never enacted. The government made sure that people had enough to eat. On the other hand, there were deepening violations of rule of law. For them, it makes perfect sense that you would attack both social welfare policies and democracy.

Featuring Laura Mason on her book The Last Revolutionaries: The Conspiracy Trial of Gracchus Babeuf and the Equals. Mason discusses Babeuf's call to abolish property, his radically egalitarian conspiracy against the Directory government, and the end of the French Revolution. How a centrist government turned its back on popular democracy, presided over growing inequality and working-class poverty, and abetted the rise of the reactionary right that would ultimately overthrow it. Check out the newsletter and our vast archives at thedigradio.com Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig