Zia Akhtar 
Girondins 

This is a dramatic reconstruction about the politics of survival in the French revolution. It was a conflict that threatened to devour its own children. The clash came about against the background of implementing the Rights of Man and the Citizen when the struggle to formulate the destiny of the French people, Europe and the rest of the world became a matter of intellectual debate and urgent action. This could only be achieved through a battle of wits against the Jacobins, their opponents on the left who considered themselves equally capable of leading the revolution. In the aftermath of the revolution the Girondins or "provincials" were a faction who tried to light the path for humanity in the new political order. It was to give birth to the Empire of Liberty but before it could be attained a bloody labyrinth of intrigues had to be navigated, and the enemies of revolutionary France had to be defeated. The legacy of the ancien regime had to be met by purging of the old order and through consolidating the revolution.The Girondin deputies were stationed in Paris which was the hub of the revolution and formed the government between 1792-3. They were diametrically opposed to the Jacobins whose support came from the irrepressible sans-cullotes whose power was based on insurrection and who were determined to set the agenda for the politicians. Of a high sounding abstract persuasion the deputies of the Girondins tried to rise above the common discourse and attempted to lay the foundations of a constitutional monarchy which is the inheritance today in much of contemporary Europe. In this re-enactment the important events including the trial of King Louis XVI is narrated and historical material is relied upon to present the chronology. The Girondins were in the thick of the crises in much of the revolution’s climax and as Parliamentarians their approach was a masterpiece of cautious idealism as they jockeyed for position against the Mountain, their Jacobin rivals, in the National Convention. It was logical that they would retire to Madame Roland’s salon from the National Assembly in Paris to reflect in conversation and formulate their strategy in order to retain their place as the academic elite of the revolutionary generation. This became a driving ambition for their romantic aspirations as a woken generation and it brought about a clash of personalities with the more radical deputies. At a rational level this staged reconstruction deals with the events that happened more than two centuries ago, but it also adds a modern feel to the discussion. The concept of liberty, equality and fraternity and the sacrifices committed in its name come up for scrutiny as they were the crucial motivators of the French revolution. It gives this story its atmospheric tension and it works like a thriller which reflects its popular mood of a narrative that was for once influenced by the ordinary people.