Attacks on the Church and religion in general were among the actions of the Revolution that prompted fear, outrage, and revulsion, both within France and in the more conservative societies of Europe. So too was the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, as well as the widespread violence of the Terror. Visual Source 16.4, a British political cartoon, conveys this highly critical, indeed horrified, outlook on the French Revolution. Captioned “Hell Broke Loose,” it depicts the execution of Louis XVI and was printed shortly after his death in January 1793. The flying demonic figures in the image are repeating popular slogans of the revolution: “Vive la nation” (“Long live the nation”) and “Ca ira” (“That will go well,” or more loosely, “We will win”).
What is the significance of the demons and dragons in the cartoon? Notice how the soldiers at the bottom of the image are portrayed.
What meaning would you attribute to the caption, “Hell Broke Loose”? What disasters might critics of the revolution have imagined coming in its wake?
How do you understand the beam of light from heaven that falls on Louis XVI?
Why was regicide regarded with such horror in England in the 1790s?