Speeches during the French Revolution era

Pojam revolucije razmatran je sa filozofske, povijesne, kulturne, perspektive. Revolucije kroz povijest značile su samo jedno, a to su bile promijene koje su uslijedile nakon dužeg perioda nezadovoljstva naroda. Francuska revolucija je najbolji primjer kada eskalira nezadovoljstvo. Za revoluciju je bitno nekoliko segmenata kako bi započela; nezadovoljstvo naroda, pojedinac koji se nametne ili bude izabran od nezadovoljnog naroda da ih vodi i opozicija koja smatra da revolucija nije potrebna. Kako bi privukli masu, revolucionarne vođe, znali su svoju vjeru oblikovati riječima, retorika - umijeće uvjeravanja je najjači alat u vrijeme revolucija. Problematika retorike je upravo to govorničko uvjeravanje mase, jer ne obuhvaća samo istinu o vremenu u kojem je nastalo nego može obuhvatiti i veliku laž sa kojom se pridobije narod. Iako se predstavljali u dobronamjernom svijetlu mnogi govori su puni prezira kojim su zamračili obzore slobodna svijeta. U vrijeme Francuske revolucije, oratori su bili iz redova svećenstva, politike, filozofije. Politički klubovi koji su se oformili u Francuskoj za vrijeme revolucije, bili su nositelji raznih ideja, koje bi donijele promjene u već kaotičnom stanju društva. Društvu je bio potreban pojedinac da ih vodi, te da se pobrine da te ideje provede u stvarnost, a ne da ostane samo na riječima. Jean Paul Marat, Georges Jacques Danton, Maximilian Robespierre te Louis Antoine Leon de Saint–Just, samo su neki koji su sa svojim govorima prikupljali istomišljenike te ih vodili kroz revolucionarno vrijeme. Kroz njihove govore jasno je vidljivo da su u početcima govorili jedno, no kako je revolucija postajala sve snažnija i zauzimala sve veći opseg, tako su i oni mijenjali svoje mišljenje i prilagođavali ga duhu revolucije. Osim problematike mijenjanja mišljenja i stavova, javlja se i problem cenzure koju provode vladajući u nadi da prikriju stvarno stanje u kojem se našla Francuska. Sloboda govora postao je još jedan od faktora koji je razbuktao revolucionarno stanje. Da bi izbjegli cenzore i narodu pobliže pružili stvarnu sliku stanja, služili su se tiskanjem novina i pamfleta, no i to je uskoro došlo u ruke cenzora. Zagovornici cenzure u doba revolucije smatrali su da je opasno dopustiti neograničenu slobodu. Pod opasnost su smatrali, da će se upravo ta sloboda govora koristiti u zle svrhe. Ali upravo ta borba sa cenzorima, iznjedrila je buđenje svijesti, jer je narod bio svjestan da im se prešućuje istina. Kako bi se potpuno oslobodili iz ruku cenzora, narod je počeo koristi i razne pjesme koje su skladali o teškom periodu u kojem su se našli. Pjesme proizašle iz naroda teško je bilo cenzurirati, iz razloga što je bilo dostupno svima i pismenima i nepismenima te jednostavni tonovi mogli su nositi duh revolucije.The concept of revolution has been viewed from the philosophical, historical and cultural perspective. Throughout history, revolutions meant only one thing –change that followed after a longer period of a nation's dissatisfaction. The French Revolution is a prime example of the escalating dissatisfaction of a nation. For revolutions to arise, there are a number of segments that need to occur; a particular nation's dissatisfaction, an individual that imposes him or herself, or is chosen from the dissatisfied nation as the leader, and the opposition which regards the revolution as unneeded. To attract masses, revolutionary leaders knew how to form their beliefs into words, i.e. rhetoric – the art of persuasive speaking is the strongest tool in times of revolution. The issue involving rhetoric is the oratory approach of persuading masses, as it does not only consider the truth of the time in which it came to be, but can also include great falsehoods by which people are won over. Though they speeches have been known to be presented in a positive light, many of them were filled with hatred, by which they blackened the horizons of a free world. During the French Revolution, orators were from the class of clergy, politics and philosophy. The political parties that had formed in France during the time of the Revolution were the carriers of various ideas that would ultimately bring change in the society’s already chaotic state. The society needed one individual to lead them, to ensure that the ideas would shape into reality, for them not to remain only words. Jean-Paul Marat, Georges Jacques Danton, Maximilian Robespierre and Louis Antoine Leon de Saint-Just were only a few individuals that attracted like-minded thinkers with their speeches and lead them through the revolutionary times. In their speeches, it is clear that at the beginning of the Revolution, they spoke one way, and as the Revolution strengthened and took a lager scope, they too changed their opinions and adjusted their belief into the spirit of the Revolution. Besides the issue of change in thought and opinions, there was a problem of censorship imposed by those governing at the time, in the attempt to conceal the actual state that France had found itself in. Freedom of speech became another factor that flared the nation's revolutionary condition. To avoid censors and provide the nation with accurate insight into the situation, revolutionaries used printed newspapers and pamphlets – though, even that quickly fell into the hands of censors. Censorship advocates at the time of the Revolution considered it dangerous to allow unlimited freedom of speech. They considered it a danger that this freedom would be used for the wrong purposes. But it was precisely from the struggle with censors that an awakening of consciousness emerged, as the people were conscious that the truth was being concealed. To completely liberate themselves from the authority of censors, the people began composing different songs about the dreadful period in which they were found. The songs that came from the people were difficult to censor, as they were accessible to all – both literate and illiterate – and simple melodies could bear the spirit of the Revolution