Journalist in the Terror Scenery: Camille Desmoulins and the Old Cordelier

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Abstract

The article presents a detailed history of Camille Desmoulins' newspaper "The Old Cordelier" in the historical and political context of the Jacobin terror. The content of seven issues of the newspaper is examined, and an attempt is made to reveal Desmoulins' concept of the publication in his dispute with the leader of the extreme left, Hébert, and the all-powerful dictator Robespierre. The first issues of "The Old Cordelier" satisfied Robespierre because they aimed at Hébert and the cult of Reason preached by him. However, gradually the meaning of Desmoulins' texts began to change. The journalist began to write about the shortcomings of the entire machine of state terror and, eventually, inevitably, to criticize Robespierre. Already with his third issue, Desmoulins aroused the discontent of the Jacobin and Cordelier Clubs, from which he was expelled shortly after. The sixth issue was held up by the publisher Desenne, who demanded that the most acute fragments be removed. The seventh issue of the newspaper, which Desmoulins was editing when he was arrested, was published only after Thermidor, and even then with cuts. Desmoulins' political views, which were quite radical at the beginning of the Revolution, underwent a significant evolution against the backdrop of the Terror. In order to influence events, he returned to journalism and began publishing his own newspaper again - an activity he had abandoned when he moved away from publishing the periodical brochure "Revolutions of France and Brabant". A talented journalist, Desmoulins constructed the texts of his issues using "Aesopian" language and allegorical images, which, however, were quite understandable to his contemporaries. Desmoulins' political position became increasingly irreconcilable with the government's terrorist policy. In the end, the fight against Robespierre from the pages of the newspapers led to Desmoulins ending up on the guillotine.

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