Georges Jacques Danton was leading figure in the early stages of the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 and the first President of the Committee of Public Safety

Committee of Public Safety

The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...

. Danton's role in the onset of the Revolution has been disputed; many historians describe him as "the chief force in the
overthrow of the monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

 and the establishment of the First French Republic". A moderating influence on the Jacobins

Jacobin (politics)

A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...

, he was guillotine

Guillotine

The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...

d by the advocates of revolutionary terror

Revolutionary terror

Revolutionary terror ) refers to the institutionalized application of force to counterrevolutionaries, particularly during the French Revolution from the years 1793 to 1794...

 after accusations of venality and leniency to the enemies of the Revolution.
Danton was born in in Arcis-sur-Aube

Arcis-sur-Aube

Arcis-sur-Aube is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.It is located north of Troyes.-Personalities:George Danton was born the 26th October 1759 in Arcis-sur-Aube to a respectable though not wealthy family...

 in northeastern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 to Jacques Danton and Mary Camus, from a respectable, but not a wealthy family.