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Summary
- Early Life
- Political Life
- Reign of Terror
- Downfall and Legacy
Key Facts And Information
Let’s know more about Maximilien Robespierre!
Maximilien Robespierre was a French lawyer and politician who also ranked as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. He started by joining the Jacobin Club and went to prominents in the Committee of Public Safety. He has been a subject of theoretical study and debate because of his persistent belief in revolutionary ideals and his involvement during the Reign of Terror. Robespierre was overthrown and executed by guillotine on 28 July 1794.
Maximilien Robespierre
EARLY LIFE OF MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE
- Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre was born 6 May 1758 in Arras, France. He was the eldest of four children born to a lawyer, Maximilien-Barthélémy Robespierre, and to Jacqueline-Marguerite Carrault, the daughter of a brewer. Robespierre’s life started tragically when his mother passed away in 1764, when he was six years old. His father then abandoned the family, leaving Robespierre and his siblings to be raised by their maternal grandparents. His childhood experience of the orphaned and marginalised must have coloured his later commitment to social – and perhaps personal – justice and reform.
- Despite all this, Robespierre had obvious academic potential from his youth. He earned a scholarship in 1769 to the known classicist Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris. There, Robespierre studied Latin, Greek, philosophy and law. The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement stressing reason, equality and individual rights, also influenced him.
- At Louis-le-Grand, Robespierre knew works of philosophers such as Voltaire, Montesquieu and, most notably, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Robespierre was greatly influenced by Rousseau’s ideas about the general will and the necessity of virtue in the governance of the people. It was an intellectual foundation, a cornerstone of his political philosophy, which made him a man of principle and standards without which one cannot bend.
- When he finished his studies, Robespierre returned to Arras in 1781, where he started his legal practice.
- And he developed a reputation as a principled, compassionate lawyer on the defence of the underprivileged.
- He pursued cases on behalf of the poor, taking on such matters as state power and abuse of power by local elites and unfair taxation.
- He was popular with the people because of his advocacy for equality and justice, which gave the common people a defender of their rights and dignity.
- Robespierre, aside from practising law, was an intellectual and civic person. He joined literary societies to which he submitted essays, which were praised for their lucidity and force. By the time the Estates-General convened in 1789, Robespierre had become an eloquent people’s man with a reputation that would help open the doors to national politics as France blundered towards one of its most tumultuous periods.
POLITICAL LIFE OF MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE
- Robespierre’s ideals provided an opportunity that the political upheaval of 1789 offered: to take them to the national stage. As a deputy of the Third Estate, made up of commoners, he was elected to the Estates-General. To tackle the country’s financial crisis, the nation’s three social classes – the clergy, nobility and commoners – met in an assembly called the Estates-General. It then became a platform for general political and social reform demands.
- He soon proved himself as a forceful orator with a gift for words. He defended principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, and on many occasions he would rant and rave for the rights of the disenfranchised. Throughout his speeches, he stressed the need to ban feudal privileges, to ensure fair taxation, and to set up a more democratic government. Thus he became a rising star among revolutionary leaders, being able to win the support of the radical faction of the Third Estate.
- Robespierre also joined the Jacobin Club, a very powerful political organisation that stood for republican ideals and against the Royalist whim. Robespierre became ‘The Incorruptible’ within the Jacobins because he was a man of his word who pledged himself to his principles. He opposed any compromises with moderates and believed all of the goals of the Revolution could be achieved only by bold action.
- His appeal for universal male suffrage and the abolition of slavery in French colonies showed how Robespierre’s influence was growing.
- He came to sit at the vanguard of revolutionary politics with these progressive stances.
- On 21 October 1792, as France declared itself a republic and abolished the monarchy, Robespierre mounted the prosecution of King Louis XVI and demanded it be executed because he stated that the king’s death was necessary for the future of the Revolution.
- By 1793, Robespierre was at the peak of his authority and he was elected onto the Committee of Public Safety, a powerful committee given authority to defend the Revolution from internal and external threats. In his role in the committee, he strengthened his position among the most powerful men in the revolutionary government. However, his rise to power also set the stage for the most controversial period of his life: the Reign of Terror.
REIGN OF TERROR
- The Reign of Terror, which lasted from September 1793 to July 1794, was a time of political turmoil and violence. After Robespierre took over the Committee of Public Safety, he had his enemies of the Revolution eliminated. Robespierre believed that only abolishing counterrevolutionary threats would save France and that ‘terror’ was the only way to create and maintain virtue in the Republic.
- During the Reign of Terror, thousands were arrested and guillotined.
- Among these were aristocrats and counterrevolutionaries, but also moderates and radicals considered not sufficiently loyal to the Revolution.
- This included another revolutionary leader, Georges Danton, and Camille Desmoulins, a previous ally of Robespierre.
- A climate of fear was created, although no one, regardless of his past contribution to the Revolution, became immune from suspicion in the wake of the executions.
- Robespierre defended terror because he believed that terror was a means of right and equality. He thought that the revolution would not go forward without strict adherence to its principles and the elimination of corruption. But he alienated many of his former supporters by his uncompromising stance. The increasing use of state violence by Robespierre and his intolerance for dissent bred among the population and his colleagues in government an ever increasing uneasiness.
The Festival of the Supreme Being
- Robespierre’s declining popularity was furthered by the introduction of the Cult of the Supreme Being, a deistic religion he himself was promoting. Although it was meant to unite the nation under a single moral framework, some saw it as an overreach of power and an indicator of the rising authoritarianism of Robespierre. He was accused of wanting to set himself up as a dictator and the moral arbiter of the Republic.
- The executions continued, and as the list of ‘enemies of the Revolution’ grew, opposition to Robespierre increased. His insistence on virtue and his recourse to terror proved counterproductive in the end, leading to his downfall and the end of the Reign of Terror.
DOWNFALL AND LEGACY
- By mid-1794, the tide was against Robespierre. People were fearful of his power and resentful of his actions, so members of the National Convention conspired to oust him from power. The dramatic session of the Convention at which Robespierre and his closest allies were arrested took place on 27 July 1794 (9 Thermidor of the Revolutionary calendar). The next day he was guillotined, along with 21 of his supporters.
- The fall of Robespierre marked a turning point in the French Revolution. This was followed by a more moderate phase of rule because leaders sought to distance themselves from the excesses of the previous regime. Yet the shadow of Robespierre and the Terror continued to loom large over France’s political landscape.
- Arguments over Robespierre’s character continue to split historians. He is to some a martyr of the Revolution, a man who gave up everything for his ideology of liberty and equality. His advocacy for the abolition of slavery, the right to vote, and the success of the common people is the reason often mentioned for his visionary leadership.
- To others, Robespierre is a symbol of the dangers of fanaticism and unchecked power. He is known as a tyrant because of his belief in the necessity of terror, his intolerance of dissent, and his role in the deaths of thousands. His story is an object lesson not to pursue noble ends through violent and totalitarian means.
- Despite the controversy that has surrounded his legacy, Robespierre is one of the most important characters of the French Revolution. His life and career are emblematic of the inherent complexity of revolutionary leadership and the conflict between idealism and pragmatism. Yet he is still remembered today for both championing justice and warning about the consequences for the world.
Frequently Asked Questions About Maximilien Robespierre
- Who was Maximilien Robespierre?
Maximilien Robespierre was a French lawyer and politician. He was a key member of the Jacobin Club and the Committee of Public Safety.
- What was Robespierre's role in the French Revolution?
Robespierre was a leading figure during the Revolution, advocating for democratic ideals, universal male suffrage, and social justice. He played a significant role in orchestrating the Reign of Terror.
- What was the Reign of Terror?
The Reign of Terror (1793–1794) was a period during the French Revolution when the government, led by the Jacobins and Robespierre, used harsh measures, including mass executions by guillotine, to eliminate enemies of the Revolution and maintain control.