Girondists, << juh RON dihsts >>, were members of a French political group that began during the French Revolution (1789-1799). The name came from the fact that some of the party’s leading orators were from a department (district) called the Gironde. The Girondists were republicans inspired by the new United States government. They represented the middle class and believed in a person’s right to own property. They favored doing away with the monarchy in France and establishing a federal republic. They feared that Paris would dominate France and that radical groups centered there would take away private ownership of property. Two important Girondists were Jacques-Pierre Brissot de Warville and Madame Marie Jeanne Roland de la Platière.
The Girondists came to power under the Constitution of 1791. In June 1793, a Paris mob forced the National Convention to expel and persecute a group of prominent Girondist deputies. The government came under control of the Jacobins, republicans who favored domination by Paris. Many Girondist leaders were guillotined during the Reign of Terror.
