Robespierre << ROHBZ peer or ROHBZ pee air >> (1758-1794) was the most famous and controversial leader of the French Revolution (1789-1799). In the name of democracy, he helped bring about the Reign of Terror, a period in which thousands of suspected opponents of the revolution were executed. In time, Robespierre met the same fate.
Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras on May 6, 1758. He studied at the College of Louis-le-Grand in Paris and became a successful lawyer. Robespierre was greatly influenced by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued that the right to govern came from the people.
In 1789, Robespierre was elected to the Estates-General, an assembly that the king called to deal with a financial crisis in France. There, Robespierre distinguished himself as a spokesman for the principle of equality and the rights of the common people. He wanted voting rights extended to all the people, including Protestants, Jews, and free Black people of the French colonies. Robespierre became a leader of the Jacobin Club of Paris, a radical political group. By 1792, most Jacobins wanted a democratic republic instead of a constitutional monarchy.
Revolutionary leader.
In August 1792, the people of Paris took custody of King Louis XVI and his family and imprisoned them. Soon afterward, Robespierre was elected to the National Convention, a national assembly established to take over the government of France. The Convention declared that France was a republic, placed King Louis XVI on trial, and sentenced him to death as a traitor. Robespierre then led an attack in the Convention against moderate deputies known as the Girondists. He and his followers expelled the Girondists in June 1793 and took control of the Convention.
In July 1793, Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, the Convention’s governing body. He stressed the republic’s need for a single center of opinion and viewed disagreement with the committee’s policies as treachery. His speeches justified the Reign of Terror to defend and “purify” the revolution. By the end of July 1794, thousands of rebels and suspected “enemies of the republic” had been executed, including Robespierre’s one-time friend and fellow deputy, Georges Danton.
His death and role.
As a result of his policies, many members of the Convention became Robespierre’s enemies. They feared for their lives and organized a plot against him. On July 26, 1794, Robespierre seemed to call for an end to the use of terror, but he also threatened unnamed deputies. The next day, a group of his opponents persuaded the Convention to order his arrest. The Convention sentenced him to die on the guillotine. He was executed on July 28, 1794.
Today, historians still argue over Robespierre’s role. Some scholars regard him as cold-blooded, fanatical, and self-righteous. Others view him as “The Incorruptible,” a totally dedicated patriot and democrat.
