by D. Victor

Created on: July 25, 2008

A symbol of the French revolution- the Guillotine is more than a mere death machine. Its history can be viewed in terms of the manifestation of this style of execution and information on the design of the machine associated specifically with the French revolution. Indeed, it would be a distortion of history to not acknowledge the context in which the guillotine was developed.

The device

The guillotine is thought of as being introduced to the French revolution in 1792. However, similar devices existed for centuries. The concept of beheading by a device is thought to have existed prior to the 14th century. Certain sources place the first documented use of a device (The Irish Maiden) similar to the guillotine in 1307. Other devices such as the Halifax Gibbet (circa 1280) and the Scottish maiden (1564) were used throughout other parts of Europe. The French developed the device to make it a more efficient and painless form of execution. France was also the first nation to use the guillotine as the standard execution method. A German engineer, Tobias Schmidt, is credited with making improvements to the design of this decapitating device.

Introduction

In 1789, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin during an Assembly debate on the Penal Code made recommendations about the method and nature of capital punishment. Beheading by machine-used for the execution of criminals of noble birth in several parts of Europe- influenced his recommendations. Dr. Guillotin was merely instrumental in getting the guillotine used as the standard execution method. The introduction of the guillotine was as a result of the growing discontent with gruesome methods of execution. On October 6th, 1971, the Assembly of France passed a law stating that all executions should take place by beheading. In March, 1972, the device that was initially recommended by Dr. Guillotin was recommended for executions.

Use

The guillotine was first used on April 25th, 1792 for the execution of a highwayman. In January of 1793, Louis XVI was executed by this method as well. The guillotine was used quite frequently during the revolutionary period thereafter. Despite being indexed to the revolutionary period, the use of the guillotine continued well into the 20th century. The last public execution involving the guillotine took place in 1939. However, use of this device diminished significantly between 1960 and 1975. The last official execution occurred in 1977. In September, 1981, France outlawed capital punishment, rendering the guillotine obsolete.

Conclusion

The history of the guillotine can be viewed as spanning six centuries. There is a shorter history if we consider the device designed by Laquiante and built by Schmidt. While there were similar devices in history, the guillotine once called the Louisette- seems quite singular. This is by virtue of it being inextricably linked to the French revolution. The guillotine remains a symbol that both revered and loathed, depending on the perceiver's view of the French revolution.

Sources:
Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica

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