What It Was Like to Witness the Guillotine

The video explores the guillotine's role in French society, from its public spectacle to its eventual privatization. It discusses the mechanics of the guillotine, public reactions, and cultural impacts, including the role of executioners and the public's fascination with gore. Notable last words and personal accounts, such as Albert Camus' father's experience, highlight the emotional and societal effects of the guillotine era.

What event led to the end of public executions in France?

• The rise of football hooligans

• The invention of the guillotine

• The execution of Eugene Weidmann

• The French Revolution

Why did the French government decide to conduct executions in private?

• To comply with international laws

• To reduce the cost of public events

• To avoid guillotine malfunctions and manage crowds

• To increase the efficiency of executions

Who was Charles-Henri Sanson?

• A famous French revolutionary

• The inventor of the guillotine

• The royal executioner of France

• A tricoteuse leader

What was the role of tricoteuses during guillotine executions?

• They were women who knitted and watched executions

• They were journalists reporting on the events

• They were executioners

• They were government officials

What did the public initially criticize about the guillotine?

• It was too slow

• It was too easy and clinical

• It was too expensive

• It was too loud

What were some of the reactions of the condemned before execution?

• They sometimes gave last words

• They were given no chance to speak

• They always remained silent

• They were always defiant

How did Albert Camus' father react after witnessing a guillotine execution?

• He joined the tricoteuses

• He became an executioner

• He wrote a book about it

• He vomited and never spoke of it again