A guillotine is a machine designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. It consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The device is strongly associated with the French Revolution, where it was used to execute thousands of people. The guillotine was invented in France in 1792 and was named after French physician and Freemason Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who proposed the use of a special device to carry out executions in France in a more humane manner. Before the guillotine, similar devices were in use in Scotland, England, and various other European countries, often for the execution of criminals of noble birth. The guillotine became the primary symbol of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution and was celebrated by the revolutions supporters as the peoples avenger and vilified by the revolutions opponents as the pre-eminent symbol of the violence of the Reign of Terror. Today, the guillotine is no longer used for executions, and its use is considered barbaric and inhumane.