giljotiini

The giljotiini, or guillotine, is a device designed to execute by decapitation. It consists of a tall frame with a weighted, angled blade that slides down grooves to sever the neck. The instrument was introduced in France in the late 18th century as a standardized method of execution, promoted as a humane and egalitarian alternative to existing methods.

Origins and design: The device is named for Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who in 1789 proposed a single, humane method of executing criminals. The actual mechanism was designed by Antoine Louis, and the frame was built by Tobias Schmidt. The first experimental model was installed in 1792 in Paris. A heavy blade, guided by grooves, would be released by a lever or rope, delivering a swift, nearly instantaneous beheading.

History and usage: The guillotine became the conventional method of execution in France and was widely used during the Revolution, the Napoleonic era, and into the 19th and 20th centuries. It became a symbol of the French Revolution and state power. The last execution in France by guillotine occurred in 1977, Hamida Djandoubi; capital punishment was abolished in 1981. Similar devices were used in other countries at various times, though many abolished decapitation earlier or adopted other methods.

Legacy: The guillotine is often discussed as an emblem of modern, bureaucratic justice, and debates about humanity and equality in capital punishment persist. In historical contexts, it is a device that reflects the era's legal and political changes and remains a subject of scholarly study and public memory.