with Austria and Prussia to stop the spread of the French Revolution. The internal threats were the counterrevolutionaries who were against the revolution and wanted the old government back. The Reign of Terror was established, and ran by Maximilien de Robespierre, to deal with the situation of the French Revolution and all of its threats. Now the question is: “Was this 18 month period reasonable to protect France’s people?” The Reign of Terror was not justified for three reasons: the external threats
Maximilien Robespierre was a States-General during the French Revolution, and was one of the leaders the Jacobins and the Reign of Terror. He was born on May 6, 1758 in Arras, France. He was the oldest out of four children, and when he was six years old, his mother died (5). Robespierre’s father left him and his siblings soon after his wife’s death and they were left to live with their aunts and grandfather. Eventually, he studied law at the University of Paris, and was chosen to give a speech to
“Europe cannot conceive of life without Kings and nobles; and we cannot conceive of it with them. Europe is lavishing her blood to preserve her chains, whereas we are lavishing ours to destroy them”(Maximilien Robespierre). For centuries upon centuries, the monarchal system had dominated European life. The very nature of this method of rule incited rebellious feelings, as a definite imbalance of power was present. Understandably, people under this system had risen against authority. The glorious
The French Revolution is arguably the bloodiest period in French history, with men such as Maximilien Robespierre leading the country into a situation of state sponsored terror. Originally being quite a liberal thinker inspired by the works of Rousseau, Robespierre quickly gained a reputation for being a radical throughout the course of the Revolution, especially during the Terror. Early on terror was justified as a means to root out foreign and domestic enemies of the Revolution, however; once the
Robespierre is known as possibly the greatest leader of the French Revolution. Stalin is known as one of Russia’s greatest leaders. There are many differences and similarities in each of their reigns as leaders. Both used economic plans and total war effort as a campaign to further there revolution. Stalin and Robespierre used their revolutions, however, through terror Stalin remained true to his revolution but Robespierre betrayed his. Stalin had an ingenious plan to help his country’s economy get
terrorism, the revolutionaries who would ultimately constitute the regime de la terreur were advocating for virtue and democracy––in fact, one of the figureheads of the revolutionary movement Maximilien Robespierre was renowned for having said: “virtue, without which terror is
Robespierre, Puppet of the Times The time of the French Revolution was a turning point in the history of man. There had been plenty of revolutions before this one, and there have been plenty since. The coalition in time of many spectacular and world-changing developments met at the moment in history of the French Revolution. The Enlightenment brought ideas to the people which not only had never before been considered on a mass scale, but also make up the foundation of today's Constitution. The radical
was a time during the French Revolution hundreds of thousands of people were executed by various means: guillotine, shot, and drowned. The Committee of Public Safety, lead by Maximilien de Robespierre, were in charge of these executions, and with the job of finding anti-revolutionaries forces. Many thought that what Robespierre was doing would just lead to a greater anti-revolution movement, which would in turn increase the number of executions. Others did not take action against the terror; for fear
they deserved. The Reign of Terror followed after the Revolution and seemed to stand for the complete opposite of what the people had previously stood up for. The Reign of Terror began in 1793 and ended in 1794 due to the decapitation of Maximilien Robespierre. The Reign of Terror can be explained as a time period in France when many counter revolutionaries were killed because of their traditional beliefs. Counter revolutionaries believed in preserving the ways of the monarchy, but since the majority
easy to see how strongly Robespierre felt about the inequality at the time to the point where he was creating pamphlets in order to spread his beliefs and to meet his goals and ambitions. He did this as a way to rally up the people of France and to educate them about the injustice that was taking place. To many people, Maximilien Robespierre was a hero because of he successfully gave faith and hope to his people that change and equality could happen. Maximilien Robespierre became obsessed with this
while Danton exits his carriage and greets those who believe in him, Robespierre looks on at the commotion, sweating profusely, revealing his sickly nature. Immediately after this scene, Robespierre’s men are shown ransacking a Dantonist print shop, meaning to curtail Daltonist sympathies among the disenfranchised of Paris. In light of the possibility of a Dantonist coup, Robespierre’s CPS urges him to have Danton executed. Robespierre refuses this idea due to Danton’s prestige among the Convention,
leader of the Committee of Public Safety, Maximilien Robespierre, had uncovered a tactic of spreading fear to calm those who chose the rebel against the Revolution. Consequently, Robespierre kept all individuals under the suspicion of monopolization and executed those who rebelled the revolution. Under these decrees, all French citizens involuntarily agreed, not wishing to encounter the barbaric aftermath if riots broke out against the Revolution. Robespierre had adhered to his intuition that all
Maximilien Robespierre declared at the trial of King Louis XVI. “The King must die so that the nation can live.” Robespierre advocated the kings demise and with it the ways of the Ancien Régime. However, in an ironic twist of fate his words also foreshadowed his own rise and fall as the leader of the French Revolution. Known as “The Incorruptible”, or alternately “Dictateur Sanguinaire” Robespierre is a monumental figure of the French Revolution, but which was he? Was he the incorruptible revolutionist
In 1793, the execution of the king sent the government of France into a spiral of radical policies. It started in a struggle for power between the two parties of Montagnards and Girondins. The Montagnards ultimately took control, led by Maximilien Robespierre. The Montagnards were the more radical party. Due to internal and external rebellion, they created the Committee of Public
pg. 41). The revolutionary government, The National Convention, sought to destroy all citizens against the revolution. In order to accomplish this feat, they created the Committee of Public Safety. The leader of this organization was Maximilien Robespierre. Robespierre and his committee wanted to protect citizens from foreign and domestic threats to the revolution. (Beers, pg. 41). The main threat to the French Revolution was the citizens of France that were against the revolution. (Tripod.com, The
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror was a time of death and war. In 1789, France was ruled by King Louis XVI. France was in debt from war, because of this, a lot of it’s people were starving and living in poor conditions. To make matters worse, there were riots and killings. There were over 40,000 people killed by guillotines because they were suspected to be enemies of the government(Doc F). All this is known as the Reign of Terror. Some people see it as unjustified, but I think it is. It is justified
success for the Revolution, or was it a brutal Jacobin policy put in place for the ruling faction to keep power? This essay argues that while violence and terror are by no means a positive, Maximilien Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety’s actions were justified. In this paper I critically discuss how Robespierre has been misrepresented by a number of historians, and although he did engage in Terror during the French Revolution, he was not a “bloodthirsty tyrant” as many historians have made him
Almost instantaneously after the death of Louis XVI in 1793, the Committee of Public Safety took over with Maximilien de Robespierre as head. Those in control believed that anyone blocking their path to liberty should be annihilated, and went to many extents to do so. From 1793 to 1794 France was in the midst of the Reign of Terror, which was characterized by mass executions. Those who supported the revolution thought of the executions as a step on the path to liberty; however, others stood firmly
overarching goal of the Revolution was to place the power of government in the hands of the people. For two years, whilst France was facing internal disorganization and external wartime threats, the government was run by a war dictatorship under Maximilien Robespierre, the head of the Committee of Public Safety (“Reign of Terror”). Amid much internal suspicion and fear, the Reign of Terror began. Much of France was politically divided, and Robespierre’s method for keeping the government stable in a time
His goals were to make France a constitutional republic instead of a monarchy. The new government Robespierre established, executed thousands of those who were believed to be enemies of the revolution. He had churches closed, denied the people of legal counsel, and even started drafting people to war. His original goal was peace. He stated, “In order to