Laws of Maximum
Quick Summary
The "Maximum" was a system of price and wage controls implemented during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. Introduced on September 5, 1793, by the Committee of Public Safety, it aimed to address food shortages and economic crimes like hoarding by making them capital offenses. This law was part of a broader effort to control the revolution's enemies and ensure affordability for the populace.1
The Ventôse Decrees, passed in February and March 1794, were a more radical expression of social democracy. They called for the confiscation of property from enemies of the revolution and its distribution to needy patriots. However, these decrees were not fully implemented and were abandoned after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre.2
Following Robespierre's downfall, the Thermidorian Reaction dismantled the economic regulations and price controls of the Terror, leading to a new economic crisis and famine. This period saw a backlash against those associated with the Terror, resulting in violence and political instability.3
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French RevolutionCounterrevolution, regicide, and the Reign of TerrorThey introduced the Maximum (government control of prices), taxed the rich, brought national assistance to the poor and to the disabled, declared that education should be free and compulsory, and ordered the confiscation and sale of the property of émigrés. These exceptional measures provoked violent reactions: the Wars…
Read MoreThey introduced the Maximum (government control of prices), taxed the rich, brought national assistance to the poor and to the disabled, declared that education should be free and compulsory, and ordered the confiscation and sale of the property of émigrés. These exceptional measures provoked violent reactions: the Wars…
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FranceThe Reign of Terror…wage controls known as the Maximum. The Law of Suspects empowered local revolutionary committees to arrest “those who by their conduct, relations or language spoken or written, have shown themselves partisans of tyranny or federalism and enemies of liberty.” In 1793–94 well over 200,000 citizens were detained under this law;…
Read More…wage controls known as the Maximum. The Law of Suspects empowered local revolutionary committees to arrest “those who by their conduct, relations or language spoken or written, have shown themselves partisans of tyranny or federalism and enemies of liberty.” In 1793–94 well over 200,000 citizens were detained under this law;…
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