political club of the French Revolution. Founded (1790) as the
Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, it
was called after its original meeting place, the suppressed
monastery of the Cordeliers (Franciscan Recollects). It provided a
political base for Georges Danton and Jean Paul Marat. In 1792-93,
after Danton left the club, it was instrumental in the destruction
of the Girondists. After Marat's assassination the club was led by
Jacques René Hébert and it drifted to the extreme left. Controlling
the Paris commune, the Hébertists seemed a threat to the power of
Maximilien Robespierre, who had them executed during the Reign of
Terror. The club dissolved after Hébert was executed (Mar.,
1794).
