Jacobins

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Jacobins Political club of the French Revolution. In 1789 Breton members of the States-General met in a Dominican (Fr. ‘Jacobin’) monastery to form the Jacobin Club. By 1791, it had branches throughout France. By 1792, Robespierre had seized control of the Jacobins and the club adopted more radical policies. In 1793, they engineered the expulsion of the Girondins and the club became an instrument of the Reign of Terror. It collapsed after Robespierre's downfall in 1794.

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