Capital punishment was very common in pre-revolutionary France. For nobles, the typical method of execution was beheading; for commoners, it was usually hanging, but less common and crueler sentences were also practiced. When Dr. Guillotine proposed the new method of execution to the National Assembly, it was meant to be more humane than previous capital punishments and also to be an equal method of death for all criminals regardless of rank.

Unfortunately, the guillotine would shortly become associated with the Reign of Terror, when capital punishment was extended beyond all previous bounds. However, it in itself was considered more humane and equal than previous methods of execution - it required no further justification.

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