Why was the guillotine seen as a symbol and not only a device in the Revolution?

It became linked with revolutionary justice and public power of punishment

The direct answer is A: the guillotine became linked with revolutionary justice and the public power of punishment. A guillotine was a machine used for execution, but during the French Revolution it acquired a wider political meaning. After the monarchy was abolished, people saw public executions as actions carried out in the name of the nation and revolutionary law. The execution of Louis XVI made the guillotine especially powerful as a symbol. It represented equality before revolutionary justice because even a king could be punished, but it also represented fear, violence and the Reign of Terror. Therefore A is correct. B is wrong because the guillotine was not a farming tool. C is wrong because it did not record votes or choose representatives. D is wrong because it was not connected with Church music. The important lesson is that an object can become a symbol when historical events give it a political and emotional meaning beyond its ordinary use. Memory cue: guillotine means revolutionary justice, but also terror.

This is a Class 9 History question. Chapter: The French Revolution. Topic: France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic.