The Cordeliers Club was a radical political club, founded in 1790. The Cordeliers believed that France should become a republic, with no role for the monarchy, which they viewed as inherent to the failings of the ancien régime.

It was the only political club that had open membership to both men and women, as well as individuals from all echelons of society, as the Cordeliers had very cheap membership fees. Many of the Cordeliers were also members of the Jacobin club, due to the many similarities in radical ideology. The Cordeliers had very close ties with the sans-culottes, as they supported the notion of direct democracy and popular agency.

The Cordeliers were the primary instigators of the petition calling for the King’s abdication which ultimately led to the Champs de Mars massacre. This led to many prominent members of the Cordeliers being forced to go into hiding, but many eventually became part of the Jacobin and Revolutionary Governments of 1793.

See Also

Danton

Desmoulins