Definition

Noun: * A member of the moderate republican faction during the French Revolution (1791-1793). The Girondins favored a decentralized republic, were often associated with the provinces outside Paris, and were eventually overthrown and purged by the more radical and centralized Jacobins.

Usage

The term is used historically to identify a specific political group and its members. * The Girondin deputies argued for a federalist system of government. * Her political sympathies were more Girondin than Jacobin.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively as an adjective (e.g., , ), though "Girondist" is also used adjectivally.
• "to meet a Girondin fate": An allusion to being overthrown or eliminated by a more radical faction within a political movement.
  • The moderate reformers in the party feared they would meet a Girondin fate if the radicals took control.

Variants and Related Words

• Girondist (noun/adjective): A direct synonym for Girondin.
• Girondism (noun): The political principles or policies of the Girondins.

Synonyms

• Brissotin (after Jacques Pierre Brissot, a leading figure)
• Moderate republican (in the specific context of the French Revolution)

Antonyms

• Jacobin
• Montagnard (The Mountain; the radical faction in the National Convention)

Noun

1. a member of the moderate republican party that was in power during the French Revolution; the Girondists were overthrown by their more radical rivals the Jacobins