Commission of Twelve
Created: 20 May 1793
The Commission of Twelve (which the duchess erroneously refers to as the 'Committee of Twelve') was devised by the Girondin faction as a means of investigating and punishing Parisian radicals. The Girondins were trying to weaken the influence the Paris sections and Commune had exerted over national politics since the fall of the monarchy in August 1792. The plan was as controversial as it was unsuccessful, and only sharpened the resolve of those planning their own attack on the Girondins. After days of pressure, the Convention agreed to a purge of 29 Girondins from its membership on 2 June 1793.
Wikipedia
Appears in these Letters:
1793
29 May - 31 May: Purge of the Girondins. Part 1
Another entry which speaks to the possible political implications of the military pressure the Republic was under. The duchess believes this to be the...
1 June - 3 June: Purge of the Girondins. Part 2
Popular pressure finally secured the ‘Purge of the Girondins’ from the National Convention on 2 June 1793. A total of twenty-nine deputies were...
5 June: Reflections on Political Repression
The duchess explains how the balance of political power in the capital has recently shifted in a more radical direction, and considers the...