Abstract This paper examines Robespierre's evolving political, social and economic beliefs and then compares the French Revolution leader's political career with the political career of Vladimir Lenin, another young revolutionary. The paper also analyzes whether these men are more appropriately called heroes, villains or neither.
From the Paper "When thirty year old Maximilien Robespierre arrived at Versailles to represent the Third Estate of Artois, he seemed an unlikely revolutionary. In his home town of Arras, he was known as a solid, though not particularly inspiring lawyer. His manner of dress was simple and conservative. His high-pitched, atonal voice placed him at a disadvantage as an orator. He was not, however, entirely lacking in strengths. According to Jordan, Robespierre loved words and had a gift for stringing them together into stirring sentences . Furthermore, he was persistent, making speeches on a variety of issues in spite of his own fears and the jeering of hecklers. Finally, he carried in his mind and heart a glowing vision of a just, economically stable, democratic post-revolutionary France."
Abstract This paper focuses on the views of historians Simon Schama and James M. Thompson regarding MaximilienRobespierre, one of the most significant figures linked to the French Revolution. This paper details the events that led to the French Revolution as well as Robespierre's involvement in the conflict. Schama, author of "Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution," details Robespierre's attitude towards French society while contending that he was a radical who viewed himself as a Messianic schoolmaster that came to conceive the revolution. This paper also delves into Robespierre's political career and his initial views against capital punishment, which quickly changed. Thompson, author of "Robespierre and the French Revolution," contends and explains why Robespierre was, in essence, a terrorist who longed for ultimate power by being able to manipulate the thoughts and desires of the common man and woman. The writer of this paper discusses Robespierre's link to terror in which he witnessed the deaths of thousands of French citizens between 1792 and 1795. This paper focuses on Robespierre's opinions and attitudes on a myriad of social and political problems and situations, which result in a better understanding of his mind and personality. This paper details Schama and Thompson's differing views of Robespierre. The writer of this paper contends that by comparing the authors' views, one can easily come to a conclusion regarding the true nature of Robespierre.
From the Paper "As one of the most able and eloquent political speakers, Robespierre was highly educated, for he had attended as a young boy the famous College Louis-le-Grand where he was "one of many scholarship boys, some of whom came from even more modest backgrounds in trade, shopkeeping and the skilled artisanal crafts," an indication that Robespierre was not from a wealthy family but was part of the middle class. In addition, like many of his fellow students, Robespierre "had drunk deep of Cicero, Tacitus and Livy (and) had felt Roman stirrings in his blood." Likewise, according to Thompson, Robespierre was "educated at one of the most prestigious schools in France and most probably received his first immersion in politics at a very early age, due to his teachers who enforced a wide range of reading in the Roman classics and Roman historians."
Tags: france, history, book, review, perception, france, war, revolution
Abstract This paper examines how MaximilienRobespierre is by far the most controversial figure in the French Revolution and how the regime of Robespierre produced overwhelming turmoil, confusion and anarchy in France. It looks at how a man, best known as the Incorruptible, led a nation to overthrow the present monarchy, instituted a new religion, and committed such atrocities while declaring liberty, fraternity and equality. It also discusses how Robespierre rose to unimaginable heights shouting such ideals to the French masses and how in the end, only succeeded in brutally extinguishing these admirable principles.
From the Paper "The beginning of the eighteenth century saw the reign of the Bourbon Kings, which began an unprecedented amount of responsibility for Ruling France. Prior to this regime, the monarch was in continuous revolt with the nobles throughout France. The Bourbon Kings were no longer sharing responsibility with the princes, dukes, and counts. The functioning of the government was an unstable balance between the King, the royal bureaucracy and local elites, consisting of nobles and non-nobles, who made money from land, investments, and wholesale commerce. At the time of Robespierre's birth, Louis XV was ruling France."
Abstract This paper chronicles the life of MaximilienRobespierre. His birthplace, early childhood years, adolescence, and adult years are discussed. His initial political philosophy, which emphasized human rights, democracy, and patriotism is outlined. Robespierre's appointment to the "Committee of Public Safety" and his career as an appointee are also discussed. The paper also covers Robespierre's approach to handling his political opposition and explains how this was part of the "Reign of Terror" campaign. The paper continues by explaining that Robespierre's transformation from a man with just motives in the beginning to one intent on controlling any opposition to him with terror, eventually doomed him to failure.
From the Paper "Maximilien Robespierre was born in 1758 in the small town of Arras in France. According to Thompson (1952), the Robespierre family had lived in that part of the country for three hundred years, even though Maximilien was later to be accused of behaving as a foreigner. By 1789, at the age of thirty-one, he was almost a nobody: an orphan, for his mother was dead and his father had deserted the home; with a younger brother and sister upon his hands; with a brilliant school career behind him, a small and unsuccessful legal practice, and a reputation for forensic oratory and essay-writing, which was recognized as the readiest approach in those days to a public career (Thompson, 1952). Within time, Robespierre had developed an interest in democracy, human rights and virtue, in the form of civic responsibility and morality (Mathiez, 1927). His focus on civic morality would later lead to his recognition as "the Incorruptible"."
This paper asks and attempts to answer the question: Was Robespierre a villain for leading the Reign of Terror or was he a hero serving the creator by whatever means were necessary?
Abstract The writer looks into the historical figure of French revolutionary thought, MaximilienRobespierre. The paper questions whether he can be seen as a hero or villain based on his extreme actions and involvement in the Reign of Terror in which many people were killed.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Background
Reign of Terror
The Change of Heart
Conclusion
From the Paper "His first real anti-government essay was a pamphlet he produced prior to an election in his hometown. In it, he describe, quite honestly and frankly, how the government was oppressing the poor. The classic clich? of "the rich become richer while the poor become poorer" was literally true. He never set himself forward as a candidate for the election, but didn't take himself out of running when his friends nominated him. Instead, he began to influence others' chances of being elected so that the whole area would be governed by like-minded men (39-41). For anyone wanting to change the government, either hero or villain, one must start small."
Tags: revolution, influence, election, France, government
Abstract This paper examines how, during the French Revolution, Robespierre suppressed the people's freedom in order to assert his power over France and how by doing so, he excessively punished anyone who opposed his regime's rules and regulations, which ultimately led to his downfall as many people fought to save France from falling into the hands of an evil dictator. It attempts to explain how cruel Robespierre and his colleagues treated the people, as well as some of the people's responses to these treatments. It also looks at the fall of Robespierre and his government as many people rose up to fight against his tyrannical, totalitarian dictatorship.
From the Paper "Some people were so sensitive to seeing these unjust trials and punishments inflicted on their fellow citizens that, in some cases, they would both cry and plead for the victim's mercy. For instance, when at the initial Tribunal, the first victim who was summoned before the judge was condemned to death for emigration, many people were both shocked and horrified. No one could possibly have imagined that a man who had done no harm to anyone would be sent off to the guillotine. The thought of a man being condemned to death for something that was not considered a crime struck the citizens in the court room as cruel, shameful, and extremely unjust."
Tags: paris, republic, revolution, guillotine, louis, death
The character of Maximilien, the "Man of Virtue," is difficult to describe. Robespierre's was an uneventful life, although lived amid extraordinary events. He had a gift for analysis, argument, and abstraction, and possessed rhetorical and political skills of a very high order. A virtuous man he certainly was, upright, chaste, moral. His greatest fault, the most odious feature of his character, was his jealousy, which led him to add constantly to the number of his enemies and murdering all those who criticized him. His was a totally political self, and he had the capacity not only to see that he was unique but to analyze and reveal this unexpected self. Robespierre was a literary intellectual, as were most of the leaders of the French..."
Abstract This paper examines the gradual collapse of the democratic French society proposed and outlined in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, to the horrific atrocities of the Terror under the Revolutionary Government. Political, social, economic and religious aspects are all analysed contextually.
From the Paper "The growth in power of the sans-culottes was also largely a consequence of the war, as their mounting strength meant that the authorities were forced to compromise with them. Their influence had already become significant during the earlier parts of the Revolution and by the spring of 1794, no one could control Paris without first obtaining their support. Many of the atrocities concerning the Terror are considered by some historians, to be the fault of the extremist sans-culottes who forced France's leaders to adopt policies that were contrary to the liberal reforms of the Constituent Assembly. The sans-culottes passionately hated both the aristocracy and the clergy as they resented their privileges and their wealth."
Tags:robespierre, democracy, sans-culottes, paris, louis
Abstract This paper examines how it is the long history of absolute rule and the ancient regime that makes the rise of the French Revolution a profound watershed event in the history of France and how, while clearly influenced by the weaknesses of Louis XVI and the rise of the working class (bourgeoisie), it also had a number of more complex and less understood causes. It attempts to show how it was a unique and complex mixture of political, economic, and social circumstances that ultimately led a mob to overrun a monarch who was appointed by God himself.
Outline
Immediate Causes
Long-Term Changes in Europe and France
Consequences of the Revolution
From the Paper "Food scarcity in the years prior to the Revolution also played a large role in the French Revolution. There were a number of crop failures in the 1780s, which led to high prices for bread. In the countryside, the peasants suffered under poor conditions, and many moved to the city of Paris. As a result the city was overcrowded, and filled with those who were hungry, poor, and without work. The shortage of bread may have been one of the most important immediate causes of the Revolution, as it provided a strong and immediate motivation for the Paris mob that brought about the Revolution (Wikipedia)."
Abstract This paper examines the areas and periods in which the peasants in the French countryside helped trigger the events that led to the French Revolution and then attempts to differentiate these periods from those during which the peasants were simply used as a manipulated mass by the political factions that were leading the country.
From the Paper "In order to approach and discuss the presence and import of the people during the French Revolution, we need to briefly have a look at their influence and actions before the Revolution. As David Andress, lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Portsmouth mentioned in one of his lectures, following an idea from Arlette Farge, "the presence of the crowd as witness was essential to the display of power central to absolutist notions of governance -- at executions, royal processions, religious and civil celebrations" (Andress, David). So, the 18th century was characterized by the presence of the crowd to different events, especially as a vote of confidence for the autocratic monarchy. However, it is important to emphasize the fact that this presence was controlled. Indeed, signs that this control was becoming looser and was not able to touch on all categories of citizens became obvious in the 1780s. Turbulences occurred in this decade, especially in the countryside, with brief repressions from the government."
Abstract This paper explains the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, showing the emphasis in that document for liberty, equality and fraternity. It looks at the different purposes of the American and the French revolutions.
From the Paper "The French Revolution was basically to end political injustice from within while the American Revolution focused on obtaining freedom from the original mother country ..."
Tags: Declaration of Independence, Declaration of the Rights of Man, The Third Estate, loyalists, Washington, Jefferson, Robespierre
Abstract This paper analyzes a letter that is written as if the author were living in the late eighteenth century and a member of the Jacobins. It expands on the the content of the letter and provides a host of reasons for why such drastic means are required for the people and nation of France.
Tags: French Revolution, Rousseau, Estates-General, Third Estate, Robespierre, social contract, freedom, economics, peasantry, government
