Athena Critides
Mrs. Kuiper
Foundations of European History
December 11, 2018
How the Guillotine Influenced Death Penalties Around the World
The guillotine was and has been consistently used as a symbol of fear throughout time. It appears in today’s world because even though it has long since outlawed in France and modern society. The imagery of a guillotine automatically draws someone’s mind to execution. The death penalty can be done in a different facet of ways, but the use or talk of a guillotine reminds people of the dark times in France’s history where this was the main form of capital punishment. The guillotine was also a major stepping-stone to alternate forms of execution. Capital Punishment has even traced back in history to biblical times. History of the Death Penalty (Part 1). Throughout the ages there have been stonings, death by the sword, or fire, but the guillotine was a stepping stone for execution machines later on throughout history. It was created by Joseph-Ignace Guillotin and was used to kill people quickly and easier during the Reign of Terror. During the French Revolution, the guillotine was created as a method of execution, significantly impacting French society at the time as well as how death penalties have been implemented throughout time.
The guillotine was at its prime during the eighteenth century. It was a massive sign of terror; it became symbolic throughout the French Revolution- it was symbolic because it was considered “the people’s axe”. History of Death Penalties (Part 1).
Whenever someone was being executed it was highly advertised to show the power of the government. These ‘shows’ were highly attended events. It was used to kill aristocrats in society and show the separation from the super wealthy to the poor. Many commoners would attend the executions of the astrocratic members of society.
The guillotine was used heavily during the Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror was a nine-month period in France’s history, which occurred from 1793-1794. It was a time where anyone who went against the set laws of society, were executed. The Committee on Public Safety created a list of laws that were enforced by the state. This created a system wide panic among the people, of all social classes. . These laws were set in place to try and draw out the ones who were against the Revolution and essentially try to save the new Republic that was up and coming. The ultimate goal: to save the Republic from itself.
The guillotine has a record number of forty-thousand people killed under it’s blade. (See page 488 of textbook). This number even includes the king Louis the Sixteenth that was charged with treason. His wife Marie Antoinette was killed alongside him. The people thought it would be better to have no ruler at all instead of a corrupt one. The use of the guillotine during the French Revolution set the foundation for the use of capital punishment for a varying amount of countries for the next few centuries.
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the death penalties migrated to colonial America. Thomas Jefferson was the first person to introduce the idea of death penalties to the colonies. He wrote about it in a bill, which he later tried to get passed in the state of Virginia, his home state. Though the bill was not passed, it was the foundation for the introduction of this form of punishment later in society. (History of the Death Penalty Colonial Movement Part 1). It was widely used in the Americas in the nineteenth century, though by the mid nineteenth century, the states shifted from death penalty to capital punishment. It became a state-by-state issue, which one they would chose to keep. It also became a state issue on which laws were broken would constitute for a citizen to have to face capital punishment.
In the shift from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century, many states started to turn away from death as a consequence of broken laws. The Supreme Court decided later, that it would become a state-by-state dependent issue, depending on the statutes of the law.
Today the words “capital punishment” are less heard of in certain areas but they are still used. In the United States alone, nineteen states do not have a form of execution for breaking the law. (History of the Death Penalty Parts 1-end). For the US Federal Government there is the ability to face the death penalty. States vary, and it is dependent on the state and the severity of the crime in which a criminal might have to face or not face the death penalty. This is different between federal level of government and state government however. Europe still has the death penalty. Though some countries do not.
It is not as widely debated topic in Europe, as it is in America, because they do not elect officials like the USA does. Most European officials believe it is an issue of human rights, not one of the government.
In Asia however, Capital Punishment it highly and widely used as a method of punishment for crimes. (Europe’s View of the Death Penalty, Times, 2001) Asian culture has a strict regimen for the law and what is acceptable versus what is not acceptable. In some ways, modern day Asian culture for the death penalty most mimics and reflects that of the original use of the guillotine. Asian culture and law is filled with tradition and rich history, while it has adapted over time, it still reflects and mirrors it’s foundations more so than other modern cultures.
Death penalties have changed drastically from the time of the French Revolution. The guillotine is no longer in use. There are now injections, among other varying array of ways. It is not open to be watched by anyone, and many more changes.
In the past it was used for almost any and all crimes. It was a symbolic use of execution to scare and terrorize members of the society It showed the unfair socioeconomic differences between the rich and the poor, the famous and the “irrelevant”, or the nobles or royals. Over time it evolved and became used for more severe crimes: murder and treason. Though it has evolved over time, many different states, countries and governments still use it as a form of punishment for crimes that are committed.
The death penalty has been around since the eighteenth century. It has been a long-standing idealistic representation of the worst punishment a person could face for any sort of crime. Though the death penalty has changed over the past three centuries, at its core it has remained the same: commit a crime and you shall face death. When first invented, the guillotine was the ultimate sign of fear. It represented death- no matter who you were or what social class you may have been from. Over time, this representation has changed, as has the evolving society and laws. At the end of the day, capital punishment or the death penalty remains the same. The guillotine was the foundation for which all states, governments, and countries base their beliefs about capital punishment.
In the beginning, the guillotine was created to serve a specific purpose: to kill those who had broken the law. It was a quick and almost painless death, a method of capital punishment that had yet to be used by any form of government. As stated above, the guillotine was created to establish a sense of fear for those during the French Revolution. Those who faced the guillotine, and those who used the guillotine had no clue that it’s effects would span the next few centuries.
The death penalty has been around since the beginning of mankind. From biblical times, the use of some sort of capital punishment has been around: from stoning to flogging, to drowning or beheading, a form of death for committing a certain crime has been around. The guillotine was the first man made invention that romanticized the idea of dying for a crime. It was created during a time in French history when there was a decisive split between the rich and the poor. Because it was invented during the French Revolution, it because a symbol of terror- not just one during the infamous “Reign of Terror” but one that also spanned centuries.
Since the effects of the guillotine have spanned centuries, it has thus played a role into major politics in almost every country since. The United States of America believe in a form a capital punishment: it is believed at both the federal and state level, though not all states agree with the use of it. This will vary because of the separation between federal and state laws.
Europe and Asian countries also believe in the form of capital punishment, but because Europe and Asia has a different set up in government, the use of the death penalty will change depending on which country and area a person is in, as with the severity of the crime. (Europe’s View of the Death Penalty, 2001)
The French were the first humans to, in a way, over glamify the use of the death penalty. The intentions for the use of the guillotine were loud and clear, and the French were able to spread the meaning during its time period. Though it was a staple during a certain time, as cultures and people change, so does the law. The use of the guillotine spanned throughout France until late into the twentieth century, with the last execution being in 1977. Other countries on the other hand, have used a form of the death penalty, though it was not in the actual form of a guillotine.
In conclusion, the guillotine paved the way for capital punishment for centuries to come. Over time it has changed and evolved. Whether it is “the death penalty” or “capital punishment” at the end of the day, it all boils down to the original idea that was established by the guillotine.