This is Maximilien Robespierre ("Maximilen Robespierre")
"Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible." - Maximilien Robespierre
This is Maximilien Robespierre ("Maximilen Robespierre")
By 1789 the French monarchy was nearly powerless and, for all purposes, the National Assembly was the current government of France. Robespierre encouraged the people of the Third Estate to take action, resulting in such events as the storming of the Bastille in Paris and in the lesser-known acts of violence out in the French countryside. This vast majority of the French population supported Robespierre's efforts. His popularity grew further as he gave frequent speeches to the public about the issues of French society, such as universal suffrage and equal rights for all, regardless of race or religion. Robespierre had a reputation of being the most honest leader of the revolution and became known as the "Incorruptible" for his fair attitude towards all. In 1791 the National Assembly had created a constitution that would limit the King's power in France, however the royal family had attempted to flee rather then sign it. The King was arrested and taken officially out of power. As a leader in the Jacobin Political party, Robespierre campaigned strongly to have Louis XVI punished for his actions, culminating in a speech on December 3, 1792 which brought almost total support for the end of the French monarchy and stopped the growth of the political parties, such as the Girondists, which wished to replace the monarchy with a new constitution. The French people no longer wanted to be ruled by a King, and they showed it in an overwhelming vote for the Jacobin Party. As Robespierre once said, "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." The French people were finished with their King, but this made the other European monarchs very nervous. They came together in an effort to stop the French Revolution in its tracks, moving against a new government that was torn between several groups of conflicting opinions. The National Assembly formed a Committee of Public Safety in 1793, led by Robespierre, to take control of the nation and create changes that all the people of France would agree with. The Committee of Public Safety made huge changes to all aspects of French life and sent representatives to the areas of France that were rebelling against the new republic, using force and terror to bring the nation under control of the government.
By 1794 the rebellions against the republic had been crushed and France was basically under the control of the new government. However, there were still many enemies of France attempting to destroy the Republic. Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety worked very hard to discover all of the nation's enemies and destroy them. During the time after the French Revolution there was much political unrest and many of the people who had once worked for the ideals of the Revolution became caught up in conflicting interests and turned against the cause they had once supported. Many of the early supporters of the French Revolution, such as Danton and Desmoulins, became traitors to the Republic. Robespierre worked bravely against such turncoats, trying them fairly, finding them guilty, and having them executed. Slowly, through the efforts of Robespierre and his supporters, the Republic became safer and more stable. This could not last for long. Robespierre's enemies, realizing that they could not for long work against the Republic with Robespierre searching for them, schemed together. Many of these traitors held high positions of power within the French government and, having banded together, were able to create a fair amount of support over their illegitimate cause. They passed propaganda to the uneducated French peasantry, saying that many of the people Robespierre had given fair trials and found guilty were really innocent. The French people were convinced of these unfounded accusations and suddenly Robespierre, who had only thought of preserving the Republic, found his support waning. He realized that the French people no longer wanted him and, heartbroken, he called for his own trial when he could have easily overturned those who accused him. Forces were sent to arrest him and Robespierre, in an attempt to end his own life honorably, shot himself in the jaw. This did not kill him though, and the next day Maximilien Robespierre was executed on the guillotine along with 21 of his most steadfast supporters. The people he defended, finishing the Republic's total control by ending the so-called "Reign of Terror" which had preserved it, killed the greatest supporter of French liberty.
There were different views of how to govern during the Reign of Terror. The best known is the view of Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins. Robespierre was born in 1758 into a poor family, but was able to go to school and study law. He became a lawyer, although was not very successful, because he usually supported the poor against the rich, and prior to the Reign of Terror, that was a lost battle. By 1789, the French government had fallen into bankruptcy, and the Estates General was called to meet. There were conflicting views on what France should do to fix its problem. Louis and conservatives wanted to only address the financial problem. Others, like Robespierre and fellow Jacobin Georges-Jacques Danton, wanted to restructure France's system of government. They believed that the people of France deserved to have more power, and that the monarchy was the problem with France.
Robespierre fought for rights for all men. He wanted men of all races, religions, and social class to have the same rights. He was elected president of the Jacobins in 1790. The Jacobin Club was a political group in France that was in support of reforming the Estates General and creating the National Assembly. When Louis tried to flee the country the first time, Robespierre was in support of trying him for treason and killing him if convicted. Most people thought it was best to present their king with their new constitution and force him to adhere to it. He kept this belief, and when he got some support after Louis tried to flee again, was able to behead his king. This move did have some opposition, though. The Girdondists, another political group, did not want to kill the king. They believed that the Revolution should not be violent. Robespierre disagreed, and said that power comes from installing fear into the people. He said, "Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible." http://www.ask.com
Soon after the reign was in full swing, Danton's wife died in childbirth. Danton became withdrawn and lost interest in the Revolution. Herbert, a leader of a radical group, accused Danton of being an enemy of the Revolution. Robespierre was insulted by Herbert, called his friend an enemy, and killed Herbert. Danton continued to not contribute to the reign, and in 1794, started to speak out against it. He said, "It is better to be guillotined than to guillotine." Robespierre responded to this by guillotining him. The last words of the fallen revolutionary were, "Don't forget to show my head to the people. It's worth seeing." Afterwards, conspirators held a trial for Robespierre saying he was a traitor. With the verdict of guilty by death, the "Reign of Terror" ended with Robespierre's head falling off.
After Robespierre fell from power and the "Reign of Terror" had ended, France was confused with how to run itself. People were outraged and befuddled with the bloodshed of the revolution. Public opinion shifted from the left back to the right. In 1795, moderates wrote a new constitution where the power would be held in the upper middle class. Five people, known as the Directory, ruled exclusively. Soon, Napoleon Bonaparte rose threw the ranks in the French army. After winning battles throughout Italy, Bonaparte was the most known general in Europe. Bonaparte was the head of this coup and became dictator of France. As a military genius, he laid waste to opposing armies. Coalitions against France, such as the Austria, Russian, British, fell through and bowed down to the French army. Bonaparte brought France economic, social, religious, and legal order. The economy balanced with the setting up of national banks and nobles returned to the country. At the same time, France welcomed all religions and signed a concordat with the pope. French jurists wrote the Napoleonic code, a set of laws enforced throughout France, which went against many freedoms from the revolution, but the people accepted them. Eventually Napoleon took over most of Europe, and created a massive empire. After his death, France remained a world power.
This is Robespierre getting his head cut off by his best friend, Mr. Guillotine ("The Beheading of Robespierre")
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