Why was the guillotine a more humane form of punishment?

Answer 1

Before the French Revolution, the executions were different whether you were a aristocrat or a common folk.

Depending on you social ranking, you were beheaded with an axe or a sword, hung to death, drowned ...

The worst was the Wheel on which you were beaten to death by the executioner and sometimes by the crowd.

As a convinced revolutionary, Guillotin believed in equity and suggested the death penalty should be the same for everyone. He also wanted to make it as unpainful as possible.

His suggestion was adopted by the National Assembly at the end of 1789.

(but I will repeat : Guillotin did not invent the machine ....)

Take a look at this link

Who_invented_the_guillotine

Answer 2

The guillotine is not a invention of the French revolution.

It was invented to behead people, and adopted by the French so as to kill people more humanely, with less suffering. Its name comes from the doctor Guillotin who proposed to the French National Assembly to drop any forms of torture and abandon hangings.

It was thought to be humane

Back in the day, the guillotine was considered a humane and efficient way to execute people.

Beheading people with an axe or a sword is actually quite tricky, and there are several reports of clumsy executions requireing several cuts before the person finally died. A gulliotine is easy to use and just about never leaves a job half-done.

Hanging also takes some skills.

Too short rope, and people have to die through strangulation, which undoubtedly is unpleasant and takes time.

Too long rope, and the head comes off. Fast, but just as messy as the guillotine.

Answer 3

It was a quick and easy way to decapitate someone as it severed the head so quickly they could feel no pain, making it more humane.

Ans2. The Guillotine was not necessarily more effective or efficient, a major proponent, Dr Guillotin was more interested in its humane aspects.

He did not invent the machine, it was known of in England at least since 1286 some 500 years prior to its use in France in 1792.

In northern England it was colloquially known as the Halifax Maiden - 'for young men had been to loose their heads over her'.

This machine had an unusual feature in that the pin holding the blade could be pulled out by a rope under the control of as many as considered themselves wronged by the offender. This recalls the 'stoning to death' and the 'firing squad' where it is not known who delivered the fatal blow.

In the Halifax case, if the wrong had been done to an animal, the rope could be pulled out by that animal.

The above information mainly from Book of Days, Chambers, Edinburgh, 2 vols. A sort of medieval 'trivial pursuit' of information.