In Our Time: History

The French Revolution's reign of terror


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the reign of terror during the French Revolution. On Monday September 10th 1792 The Times of London carried a story covering events in revolutionary France: "The streets of Paris, strewed with the carcases of the mangled victims, are become so familiar to the sight, that they are passed by and trod on without any particular notice. The mob think no more of killing a fellow-creature, who is not even an object of suspicion, than wanton boys would of killing a cat or a dog". These were the infamous September Massacres when Parisian mobs killed thousands of suspected royalists and set the scene for the events to come, when Madame La Guillotine took centre stage and The Terror ruled in France. But how did the French Revolution descend into such extremes of violence? Who or what drove The Terror? And was it really an aberration of the revolutionary cause or the moment when it truly expressed itself? With Mike Broers, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall; Rebecca Spang, Lecturer in Modern History at University College London; Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: HistoryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,800 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: History

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,401 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,834 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,708 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,204 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

509 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,791 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,077 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

275 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

957 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,950 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,041 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

591 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

707 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

279 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

860 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

588 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,630 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

811 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,981 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

2,941 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,517 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,715 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

1,937 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,009 Listeners