Leader. Murderer. Hero. Villain. Your thoughts on Maximilien Robespierre all depend on your point of view and your experiences. Some people seeked revenge against him while others backed him to his death. The reason for all these mixed feelings was a series of events that changed not only France but their revolution as well.
Maximilien de Robespierre was a French politician and influential figure of the french Revolution. He was in control of France in the 1790’s and was a key figure of the french revolution. Under his rule France experienced some of the most gruesome acts in history in the execution of thousands by guillotine until he was brought to death in 1794.
Born to young but successful parents in the mid 1700’s a lot was expected of Maximilien Robespierre and he lived up to these goals and many more throughout his life even without the support of his parents.
His mother died during the childbirth of one of his siblings and his father left soon after this, so young Maximilien was shipped off to live with his grandfather, an established lawyer in Arras France. Constantly being reminded of his fathers irresponsibility everyone pushed him to be better. He excelled in middle school and Kee 2
received a recommendation from the Bishop to attend Lycee Louis Le Grand College in Paris(Robespierre.Biography) He attended there until the age of 23 receiving his training as a lawyer. With many fresh ideas in his head he headed out for the real world.
The Term Paper on Robespierre French Revolution
Maximillien Robespierre Maximillien Robespierre is commonly viewed as the symbol of the Reign of Terror, the short period in which thousands of people were executed because they were thought to be traitors. However, Maximillien was actually an idealistic reformer with an image of peace and equality driving him on, who is unfairly credited with the Terror, and assumed to be a power-hungry tyrant. ...
Using what he learned in college and his great speaking techniques he began giving lectures about democracy and other enlightenment ideas to listeners and followers.
As hisideas gained popularity so did he, and he was elected to the Third Estate of the Estates General. Representing the greater population he argued for equal rights and fair rules on taxation. More and more the other two estates began taking note of his points and countering them, but he had the people of France backing him up.
Due to unfair and excessive taxes to the government the Third Estate of France was left with very little money for food and other necessities. After having all they could take the lower class, led by Robespierre went to the king and begged for equal taxation laws, but the king simply ignored them and disregarded the whole situation.
This disregard for the interest of the people led to a string of events backed by Robespierre including The Storming of the Bastille, The Declaration of the Rights of Man, and The March on Versailles (Britannica 118).
Maximilien had got what he wanted; a revolution to fight for the rights of the people.
As an all out Revolution unfolded Robespierre was busy working to lead the people, and killed anyone who got in his way or spoke out against the revolution. Kee 3 This even included the execution of King Louis XVI of France and his wife during a time called The Great Fear.
After this event Maximilien Robespierre rose into full power over what was left of France and killed all of the Nobles and Clergymen of the countryside. Besides that under newly passed laws any person even suspected of disagreeing with or threatening the revolution was put to death by the guillotine, an act deemed necessary by the revolutionaries in order to create a successful new government (Britannica 346).
As the terror escalated the revolution began turning on Maximilien. So he gave lectures and speeches defending his position on the executions, but to no prevail. He was soon declared an outlaw and arrested, along with twelve followers (Britannica 346).
The next day they were all guillotined without a trial and buried in a common grave.
Excelling in everything from speaking to school work from a very young age. Maximilien Robespierre was a very opinionated person and spoke for his beliefs. From this background he grew up to be one of the most controversial figures of his era.
The Essay on French Revolution Third Estate 2
Sources Essay #1 Abbe de Sieyes, Olympe de Gouges, and Edmund Burke were all concerned about the future of France. Each of the authors, though, had three different, and distinct perspectives regarding the Revolution. Abbe de Sieyes conveyed the vitality of the third estate; Olympe de Gouges took a stand for the parity of women; and Edmund Burke advocated the incorporation of conservatism instead ...
Kee 4 Works Cited . “French Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Britannica. text. 10 Jan. 2013. . “Maximilien Robespierre.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Britannica. text. Jan 2013. OSU History Department. “Maximilien Robespierre-French Leader.” OSU History. educational Broadcast, n.d. Web. Jan 2013
