September Massacre

Definition

The September Massacres were a wave of killings in Paris and other cities in late summer 1792, during the French Revolution. It was fueled by fear that foreign and royalist armies would attack Paris and that inmates of the city's prisons would revolt.

Analogy

Imagine if your school had a rumor going around about an impending food fight. Fear starts to spread, and before you know it, students start throwing food preemptively to protect themselves - even though there was no real threat. That's similar to what happened with the September Massacres; fear led people to act violently based on rumors.

Related terms

Reign of Terror: A period during the French Revolution after the First French Republic was established where numerous suspected enemies of the revolution were executed.

Girondins: A political faction in France within the Legislative Assembly and National Convention during the French Revolution.

Sans-culottes: The common people of lower classes in late 18th century France who became radical political activists often associated with extreme measures like September Massacre.