Who is robespierre from the french revolution

So when the monarchy was overthrown in August of , Robespierre was elected to the Convention that was to draft a Constitution. As his political faction grew in power, Robespierre enlisted the help of the sans-culottes, radical militants from the lower classes of French society.

The pressure of fighting two wars, international and civil, along with the ever-present possibility of government upheaval, led to the creation of the state that became known as the Reign of Terror. During the Reign of Terror, Robespierre systematically convicted and guillotined members of rival factions in the name of bringing his utopian democratic ideal to life. Opposition arose, however, and in late July of , members of the Convention voted for his arrest.

To use terror was a collective choice. Robespierre was one of 12 revolutionaries on the Committee, all of whom were strong-minded radicals, committed to the same policy.

One way of understanding what Robespierre was really like is to look at the kind of man he was before the revolution began. He was a provincial lawyer in his native town of Arras in the north of France. A hard-working, gentle and studious man, Robespierre took his responsibilities seriously, and shouldered the burden of caring for his younger brother and sister after the early loss of their parents.

He was not particularly political before the revolution — few people were — but he had marked sympathies for the poor and downtrodden. Robespierre was just 31 when the revolution began; not yet married, though he engaged in some tentative courting of one or two young women in his circle.

In short, he led an unremarkable life. Yet, it was one characterised by a sense of justice and injustice, and sympathy for the underdog, long before the possibility of a career in revolutionary politics made this kind of belief expedient. Robespierre embraced the revolution from the outset. Like so many others, he was exhilarated by the possibility that the world he knew might be transformed for the better. Not content to observe from a distance, he was elected to what became the first National Assembly.

Here it was no easy matter to gain a political voice. He was an unknown deputy among 1, others. He had no connections, no wealth, no influence — only his skill with words. He set out to make his reputation as a speaker. It was a long process, which he undertook with persistence and self-belief. Robespierre was a radical democrat. In contrast to the moderates who dominated the early years of the revolution, he argued that all men should have a vote — even the poor — and opposed slavery in the French colonies.

He deplored the death penalty as a barbaric and cruel punishment, but — and here was the crucial point — he made an exception for traitors who committed crimes against their country.

In such cases, the public good could justify their deaths. He could not be co-opted into the ruling elite, or bought by promises of wealth and powerful jobs. By the summer of , many in the Revolutionary government began to question his motives, as the country was no longer threatened by outside enemies.

An awkward coalition of moderates and revolutionaries formed to oppose Robespierre and his followers. On July 27, , Robespierre and many of his allies were arrested and taken to prison. When he received word that the National Convention had declared him an outlaw, he tried to commit suicide but succeeded only in wounding his jaw.

Shortly after, troops from the National Convention stormed the building and seized and arrested Robespierre and his followers. The next day, he and 21 of his allies were executed at the guillotine.

After the coup, the Committee of Public Safety lost its credibility and the French Revolution became distinctly less radical. France saw the return of bourgeois values, corruption and further military failure. In , a military coup led by Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory and established him as the first consul, with dictatorial powers. In , Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor of France.

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