Hébertists
Encyclopedia
The Hébertists were an ultra-revolutionary political faction associated with the populist journalist Jacques Hébert
. They came to power during the Reign of Terror
and played a significant role in the French Revolution
.
The Hébertists were ardent supporters of the dechristianization of France
and of extreme measures in service of the Terror, including the Law of Suspects
enacted in 1793. They favored the direct intervention of the state in economic matters in order to ensure the adequate supply of commodities, advocating the national requisition of wine and grain. Ideologically, however, their violent, anti-intellectual, and ultra-populist views centered chiefly around what historian Simon Schama describes as "an anarchic notion of popular government, always armed to impose the will of the people on its mandatories," and took the form of support for "unrelenting surveillance, denunciation, indictment, humiliation, and death."
. This newspaper, which purported to present the frank opinions of "Père Duchesne," a fictional working-class furnace-maker, had a large following amongst the sans-culottes. The government-funded distribution of Le Père Duchesne to the French armies, a policy arranged by the Hébertist Minister of War Jean Bouchotte
in 1793, widened support and sympathy for Hébertist ideas.
On May 24, 1793, the newly-appointed Commission of Twelve
ordered the arrest of Hébert, who had been using Le Père Duchesne to incite violence against members of the Girondin faction. The tremendous public outcry and civil unrest which ensued rapidly resulted in Hébert's release; however, rioting continued, culminating in a series of insurrections
. On May 31, a large crowd of sans-culotte agitators surrounded the National Convention
in an attempt to force its accession to their demands: the dissolution of the Commission of Twelve, the arrest of a list of Girondin deputies, a tax on the rich, and the restriction of suffrage to sans-culottes. The Commission was abolished, but on June 2, the crowds - now supported by National Guard forces headed by Hébertist and newly-appointed Commandant-General François Hanriot
- returned. Hanriot threatened to set fire to the Convention if the offending Girondin deputies were not expelled. Ultimately, the arrest of twenty-nine Girondins was decreed, marking the end of the Girondin faction's political power.
Following the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat
by a Girondin sympathizer in July 1793, Hébert positioned himself as Marat's natural successor in the affections of those who had shared the dead man's ultra-revolutionary beliefs. The Hébertists' popularity grew. Their evident and increasingly destabilizing influence was disturbing to many less extreme revolutionary politicians, including leading Montagnard figures such as Georges Danton
and Maximilien Robespierre
- the latter of whom especially disapproved of the Hébertists' militant atheism.
, a friend and supporter of Danton. Fabre claimed to have discovered a "foreign plot" in which Stanislas-Marie Maillard
and Anacharsis Cloots, among others, were implicated as agents. This succeeded in casting suspicion on the Hébertist faction. However, Fabre himself was rapidly revealed to have been acting, in part, as part of an elaborate attempt to conceal his own involvement in a scandal surrounding the liquidation of the French East India Company
, and his credibility was thereby diminished.
In December 1793, the journalist Camille Desmoulins
- whose political opinions had long been aligned with those of Danton and Robespierre - began publishing a journal, Le Vieux Cordelier
, aimed in part at the discrediting of the Hébertist faction. The journal's title alluded to the fact that the Cordeliers Club
, formerly a moderate revolutionary society dominated by the policies of Danton, had become overrun by sans-culotte Hébertists and their sympathizers. Desmoulins attacked Hébert for bringing the French Republic into disrepute through his writings, claiming that "when the tyrants of Europe wish[ed] to vilify the Republic, to make their slaves believe that France is covered with the darkness of barbarism, that Paris... is peopled with Vandals," they reprinted Le Père Duchesne. He also mocked Hébert for having pretended to be a "man of the people," and a representative of the sans-culottes - when in fact he had profited handsomely from the contracts his follower, Bouchotte, had secured to distribute Le Père Duchesne to the armies. Hébert, in turn, accused Desmoulins of hypocrisy, pointing out that his current opposition to violence and extremism (Desmoulins had, in addition to attacking ultra-revolutionary excesses, called for an end to the Terror) stood in sharp contrast to his support for such tactics in a 1789 pamphlet, Discours de la lanterne aux Parisiens, which had advocated the execution of those opposed to revolution. The vitriolic exchange continued throughout the winter of 1793-1794, ultimately contributing to the downfall of both Desmoulins and Hébert.
from Nantes, where he had been engaged in a bloody campaign
to suppress the Vendéen revolts, the Hébertists attempted to stage a popular revolt, hoping to mimic that which had led to the downfall of the Girondins. On March 4, 1794, Carrier and Hébert veiled the bust of Liberty at the Cordeliers Club: declaring, according to ritual, a state of insurrection. They had hoped to demand that the National Convention expel Robespierre and his Montagnard supporters; however, the city of Paris did not rise, and the Paris Commune
failed to provide military support for the coup. The Hébertists were denounced by Saint-Just and Robespierre; on March 13, the leaders of the faction were arrested. Twenty of them, including Chaumette, Cloots, Antoine-François Momoro
, and Hébert, were tried before the Revolutionary Tribunal
and convicted. On March 24, 1794, they went to the guillotine.
Jacques Hébert
Jacques René Hébert was a French journalist, and the founder and editor of the extreme radical newspaper Le Père Duchesne during the French Revolution...
. They came to power during the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
and played a significant role in the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
The Hébertists were ardent supporters of the dechristianization of France
Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
The dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies, conducted by various governments of France between the start of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Concordat of 1801, forming the basis of the later and...
and of extreme measures in service of the Terror, including the Law of Suspects
Law of Suspects
The Law of Suspects is a term which is used to refer to an enactment passed on 17 September 1793 during the course of the French Revolution. It allowed for the creation of revolutionary tribunals to try those who were suspected of treason against the Republic and to punish those convicted with death...
enacted in 1793. They favored the direct intervention of the state in economic matters in order to ensure the adequate supply of commodities, advocating the national requisition of wine and grain. Ideologically, however, their violent, anti-intellectual, and ultra-populist views centered chiefly around what historian Simon Schama describes as "an anarchic notion of popular government, always armed to impose the will of the people on its mandatories," and took the form of support for "unrelenting surveillance, denunciation, indictment, humiliation, and death."
Rise to Popularity
The rise in power of the Hébertists can be largely attributed to the popularity of Hébert's newspaper, Le Père DuchesneLe Père Duchesne
Le Père Duchesne was an extreme radical newspaper during the French Revolution, edited by Jacques Hébert, who published 385 issues from September 1790 until eleven days before his death by guillotine, which took place on March 24, 1794...
. This newspaper, which purported to present the frank opinions of "Père Duchesne," a fictional working-class furnace-maker, had a large following amongst the sans-culottes. The government-funded distribution of Le Père Duchesne to the French armies, a policy arranged by the Hébertist Minister of War Jean Bouchotte
Jean Baptiste Noël Bouchotte
Jean Baptiste Noël Bouchotte was a minister in the French government. He was born in Metz.At the outbreak of the Revolution he was a captain of cavalry, and his zeal led to his being made colonel and given the command at Cambrai...
in 1793, widened support and sympathy for Hébertist ideas.
On May 24, 1793, the newly-appointed Commission of Twelve
Commission of Twelve
During the French Revolution, the Extraordinary Commission of Twelve was a commission of the French National Convention charged with finding and trying conspirators...
ordered the arrest of Hébert, who had been using Le Père Duchesne to incite violence against members of the Girondin faction. The tremendous public outcry and civil unrest which ensued rapidly resulted in Hébert's release; however, rioting continued, culminating in a series of insurrections
Days of 31 May and 2 June 1793
The Days of 31 May and 2 June 1793 were a series of urban revolts in Paris during the French Revolution. They saw the fall of the Girondists under pressure from the people of Paris....
. On May 31, a large crowd of sans-culotte agitators surrounded the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
in an attempt to force its accession to their demands: the dissolution of the Commission of Twelve, the arrest of a list of Girondin deputies, a tax on the rich, and the restriction of suffrage to sans-culottes. The Commission was abolished, but on June 2, the crowds - now supported by National Guard forces headed by Hébertist and newly-appointed Commandant-General François Hanriot
François Hanriot
François Hanriot was a French leader and street orator of the Revolution. He played a vital role in the Insurrection and subsequently the fall of the Girondins.-Early years:...
- returned. Hanriot threatened to set fire to the Convention if the offending Girondin deputies were not expelled. Ultimately, the arrest of twenty-nine Girondins was decreed, marking the end of the Girondin faction's political power.
Following the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat , born in the Principality of Neuchâtel, was a physician, political theorist, and scientist best known for his career in France as a radical journalist and politician during the French Revolution...
by a Girondin sympathizer in July 1793, Hébert positioned himself as Marat's natural successor in the affections of those who had shared the dead man's ultra-revolutionary beliefs. The Hébertists' popularity grew. Their evident and increasingly destabilizing influence was disturbing to many less extreme revolutionary politicians, including leading Montagnard figures such as Georges Danton
Georges Danton
Georges Jacques Danton was leading figure in the early stages of the French Revolution and the first President of the Committee of Public Safety. Danton's role in the onset of the Revolution has been disputed; many historians describe him as "the chief force in theoverthrow of the monarchy and the...
and Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
- the latter of whom especially disapproved of the Hébertists' militant atheism.
Accusations and denouncement
Over the course of October 1793, a number of accusations were leveled against prominent Hébertists by Fabre d'ÉglantineFabre d'Églantine
Philippe François Nazaire Fabre d'Églantine , commonly known as Fabre d'Églantine , was a French actor, dramatist, poet, and politician of the French Revolution.-Early life:He was born in Carcassonne, Aude...
, a friend and supporter of Danton. Fabre claimed to have discovered a "foreign plot" in which Stanislas-Marie Maillard
Stanislas-Marie Maillard
Stanislas-Marie Maillard was a captain of the Bastille Volunteers. As a national guardsman, he participated in the attack on the Bastille and accompanied the women who marched to Versailles on October 5, 1789. Maillard testified in court to the events at Versailles.Maillard participated in the...
and Anacharsis Cloots, among others, were implicated as agents. This succeeded in casting suspicion on the Hébertist faction. However, Fabre himself was rapidly revealed to have been acting, in part, as part of an elaborate attempt to conceal his own involvement in a scandal surrounding the liquidation of the French East India Company
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
, and his credibility was thereby diminished.
In December 1793, the journalist Camille Desmoulins
Camille Desmoulins
Lucie Simplice Camille Benoît Desmoulins was a journalist and politician who played an important role in the French Revolution. He was a childhood friend of Maximilien Robespierre and a close friend and political ally of Georges Danton, who were influential figures in the French Revolution.-Early...
- whose political opinions had long been aligned with those of Danton and Robespierre - began publishing a journal, Le Vieux Cordelier
Le Vieux Cordelier
Le Vieux Cordelier was a journal published in France between 5 December 1793 and 3 February 1794. Its radical criticism of ultra-revolutionary fervor and repression in France during the Reign of Terror contributed significantly to the downfall and execution of the Dantonists, among whom its author,...
, aimed in part at the discrediting of the Hébertist faction. The journal's title alluded to the fact that the Cordeliers Club
Cordeliers
The Cordeliers, also known as the Club of the Cordeliers, Cordeliers Club, or Club des Cordeliers and formally as the Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , was a populist club during the French Revolution.-History:The club had its origins in the Cordeliers district, a...
, formerly a moderate revolutionary society dominated by the policies of Danton, had become overrun by sans-culotte Hébertists and their sympathizers. Desmoulins attacked Hébert for bringing the French Republic into disrepute through his writings, claiming that "when the tyrants of Europe wish[ed] to vilify the Republic, to make their slaves believe that France is covered with the darkness of barbarism, that Paris... is peopled with Vandals," they reprinted Le Père Duchesne. He also mocked Hébert for having pretended to be a "man of the people," and a representative of the sans-culottes - when in fact he had profited handsomely from the contracts his follower, Bouchotte, had secured to distribute Le Père Duchesne to the armies. Hébert, in turn, accused Desmoulins of hypocrisy, pointing out that his current opposition to violence and extremism (Desmoulins had, in addition to attacking ultra-revolutionary excesses, called for an end to the Terror) stood in sharp contrast to his support for such tactics in a 1789 pamphlet, Discours de la lanterne aux Parisiens, which had advocated the execution of those opposed to revolution. The vitriolic exchange continued throughout the winter of 1793-1794, ultimately contributing to the downfall of both Desmoulins and Hébert.
Fall from power
Following the February 1794 recall of Hébertist deputy Jean-Baptiste CarrierJean-Baptiste Carrier
Jean-Baptiste Carrier was a French Revolutionary, known for his cruelty to his enemies, especially to clergy.-Biography:...
from Nantes, where he had been engaged in a bloody campaign
Noyades
Noyades were drownings superintended during the Reign of Terror at Nantes, between November 1793 and January 1794, by the attorney Jean-Baptiste Carrier, the representative-on-mission....
to suppress the Vendéen revolts, the Hébertists attempted to stage a popular revolt, hoping to mimic that which had led to the downfall of the Girondins. On March 4, 1794, Carrier and Hébert veiled the bust of Liberty at the Cordeliers Club: declaring, according to ritual, a state of insurrection. They had hoped to demand that the National Convention expel Robespierre and his Montagnard supporters; however, the city of Paris did not rise, and the Paris Commune
Paris Commune (French Revolution)
The Paris Commune during the French Revolution was the government of Paris from 1789 until 1795. Established in the Hôtel de Ville just after the storming of the Bastille, the Commune became insurrectionary in the summer of 1792, essentially refusing to take orders from the central French...
failed to provide military support for the coup. The Hébertists were denounced by Saint-Just and Robespierre; on March 13, the leaders of the faction were arrested. Twenty of them, including Chaumette, Cloots, Antoine-François Momoro
Antoine-François Momoro
Antoine-François Momoro was a French printer, bookseller and politician during the French Revolution. An important figure in the Cordeliers club and in Hébertisme, he is the originator of the phrase Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, the motto of the French Republic.-Life:-"First Printer of...
, and Hébert, were tried before the Revolutionary Tribunal
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal was a court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, and eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror....
and convicted. On March 24, 1794, they went to the guillotine.
Principal Hébertists
- Jacques-Claude Bernard
- Jean Baptiste Noël BouchotteJean Baptiste Noël BouchotteJean Baptiste Noël Bouchotte was a minister in the French government. He was born in Metz.At the outbreak of the Revolution he was a captain of cavalry, and his zeal led to his being made colonel and given the command at Cambrai...
- Pierre-Gaspard Chaumette
- François ChabotFrançois ChabotFrançois Chabot was a French politician.-Early career:Born in Saint-Geniez-d'Olt , Chabot became a Capuchin friar in Rodez before the French Revolution, while continuing to be attracted to the works of philosophes - the reason for which he was banned from preaching in the respective diocese.After...
- Pierre-Ulric Dubuisson
- Jean-Baptiste-Joseph GobelJean-Baptiste-Joseph GobelJean-Baptiste-Joseph Gobel was a French Roman Catholic cleric and politician of the Revolution.-Clerical career:...
- François HanriotFrançois HanriotFrançois Hanriot was a French leader and street orator of the Revolution. He played a vital role in the Insurrection and subsequently the fall of the Girondins.-Early years:...
- Jacques HébertJacques HébertJacques René Hébert was a French journalist, and the founder and editor of the extreme radical newspaper Le Père Duchesne during the French Revolution...
- Stanislas-Marie MaillardStanislas-Marie MaillardStanislas-Marie Maillard was a captain of the Bastille Volunteers. As a national guardsman, he participated in the attack on the Bastille and accompanied the women who marched to Versailles on October 5, 1789. Maillard testified in court to the events at Versailles.Maillard participated in the...
- Antoine-François MomoroAntoine-François MomoroAntoine-François Momoro was a French printer, bookseller and politician during the French Revolution. An important figure in the Cordeliers club and in Hébertisme, he is the originator of the phrase Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, the motto of the French Republic.-Life:-"First Printer of...
- Jacob Pereira
- Charles-Philippe RonsinCharles-Philippe RonsinCharles-Philippe Ronsin was a French general of the Revolutionary Army of the First French Republic, commanding the large Parisian division of l'Armée Révolutionnaire...
- François-Nicolas VincentFrançois-Nicolas VincentFrançois-Nicolas Vincent was the Secretary General of the War Ministry in the First French Republic, and a significant figure in the French Revolution...
Further reading
- Morris Slavin: The Hébertists to the guillotine - anatomy of a „conspiracy“ in revolutionary France. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge 1994, ISBN 0-8071-1838-9.
- Antoine Agostini: La pensée politique de Jacques-René Hébert (1790-1794). Presses universitaires d'Aix-Marseille, Aix-en-Provence 1999, ISBN 2-7314-0193-1