Danton - Georges-Jacques Danton

French politician. Born to a wealthy farmer in the Aube department, he became a lawyer. He was active at the outbreak of the French Revolution, and in the first half of the revolution, he promoted the anti-monarchy, democratic movement within the Paris Commune. He later became a right-winger of the Mountain faction. In 1790, he founded the Cordeliers Club, and clashed with the conservative Paris authorities in the Flight to Varennes (1791) and other events. When the demand for the King's abdication was suppressed in the Champ de Mars massacre, he fled to England for a time, but after returning to the country, he was elected second deputy mayor of Paris in November 1791. At the end of July 1792, he participated in a petition calling for the suspension of royal power, and is said to have prepared the Republican Revolution. After the establishment of the Republic in September of the same year, the Girondist Condorcet recommended Danton as Minister of Justice in the Provisional Executive Council, and the National Defence Union was formed for a time. He was elected to the National Convention by the prefecture of Paris, but was attacked by Laurent and others for tacitly approving the massacre of suspected counter-revolutionaries as Minister of Justice that same month and for malfeasance, leading to a break with the Girondists. In April 1793, he joined the Committee of Public Safety, but was not necessarily successful, and was replaced by Robespierre in July. Hoping to quickly allow the fruits of the revolution to be enjoyed by the meritorious citizens, he argued for an end to the Reign of Terror in early 1794, and had a heated debate with the Hébertists. He was arrested by Robespierre's supporters on March 31 of the same year for protecting Fabre d'Esglantine, who was implicated in a fraud case in the liquidation of the East India Company, and was executed on April 5 as a "tolerant" member along with 13 others, including Desmoulins. He had a bold personality and was a skilled orator, and is said to have said, "Show the crowd my head, it's worth it," when he was on the guillotine. His position was tolerant, aiming for a bourgeois republican coalition, but he had a self-indulgent side in terms of morals and money in his private life, which proved fatal.

[Akira Okamoto]

"Leaders of the French Revolution, Vol. 2" edited by Takeo Kuwahara (1956, Sogensha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

フランスの政治家。オーブ県の富農の子に生まれ、弁護士となる。フランス革命勃発(ぼっぱつ)とともに活躍、革命の前半はパリ・コミューン（自治市会）内の反王権・民主派の運動を推進。のち山岳派の右派となった。1790年にコルドリエ・クラブを創設し、バレンヌ逃亡事件（1791）などで保守的なパリ市当局と対立。国王退位の要求がシャン・ド・マルスの虐殺事件で鎮圧されると、一時イギリスに逃れたが、帰国後の1791年11月パリ市第二助役に選出された。1792年7月末、王権の停止を求める請願に加担し、共和革命を準備したといわれる。同年9月の共和制の樹立後、ジロンド派のコンドルセが臨時行政会議の法相にダントンを推し、一時、国防連合が成立。パリ県から国民公会に選ばれたが、同月の反革命容疑者の虐殺事件を法相として黙認したことと涜職(とくしょく)を理由に、ローランなどの攻撃を受け、ジロンド派と決裂した。1793年4月公安委員会に入ったが、かならずしも成功したとはいえず、7月にはロベスピエールと交代した。革命の成果を早く功労市民に享受させることを願い、1794年初めには恐怖政治の収拾を説いてエベール派と激論。東インド会社の清算で詐欺事件に連座したファーブル・デグランチーヌをかばったりしたため、ロベスピエール派によって同年3月31日逮捕され、デムーランなど13名とともに「寛容派」として4月5日に処刑された。豪放な性格で弁舌にたけ、断頭台に昇ったときも「俺(おれ)の頭を群衆に見せろ、それだけの値うちはある」と言い放ったと伝えられる。彼の立場はブルジョア的な共和派連合を目ざすもので包容力はあったが、私生活上のモラルや金銭にかけて自堕落な面があり、それが致命的となった。

［岡本　明］

『桑原武夫編『フランス革命の指導者　下』（1956・創元社）』

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