How Did Jean Paul Marat Impact The French Revolution

Jean-Paul Marat was one of the biggest advocates for the French Revolution and its violent techniques. He was one of the most influential and inspiring radicals, known for his progressive publications in the newspaper, being one of the leaders of the Reign of Terror and a huge contributor to the executions of many. Through examining his life and work, we can gain a deeper understanding of arguably one of the most influential and scheming individuals of all time. This biographical narrative will explore the life of Jean-Paul Marat, from his young life and early career, to his legacy and all of his impact on the French Revolution.

Jean-Paul Marat’s early life is partially what influenced how he was during the Revolution. He was born on May

He lived in many places from England, France, Holland, and Italy. He became a self taught physician and became very reputable especially among French aristocracy. With this medical background, Marat often wrote concepts on science as well as politics and enlightenment ideas. This is where he began to publicize his name and works, and become popular amongst the public, which was a dream of his since childhood. Marat grew bitterness towards those with a high status or great amount of money due to the amount of rejection he faced in his young life. This plays a factor in his ability to relate to the poor. Although Marat continued to move and research all around Europe, he settled in Paris, France. His political interests changed when he attended the Estates General, and devoted his career away from science and towards politics. The Estates General actually, “prompted Marat to take up his pen for the Third Estate.”(Llewellyn, Thompson). The Third Estate was the poorest estate in France, which at the time struggled with starvation and oppressive

His works and aggression continued to progress, where he advocated for violence. So, many people from the Third Estate followed him because of the sense of security that he gave them. He was a man of the people, being known for giving out money to those in need, and the promise of a new constitution gave the people of France a sense of security. Marat was one of the first people to present the idea that the real enemies were within the borders of France. One of his most famous quotes is, “... unveiling of plots of the unmasking of traitors”(Silva), which talks about the execution of those who weren’t loyal to the revolutionaries. Many other leaders in the Jacobin Party implemented this into their style of ruling throughout the Reign of Terror. Although, not everyone thought that Marat was a good influence. Some people thought that he was crazy and blamed the increasing paranoia and violence on him, like the September Massacre. Marat’s death was one of the biggest factors of how he was remembered. He was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, who was one of the few people against the revolution and Marat’s radical ideas. Marat was stabbed in the chest with a knife in the bathtub. He often spent time in a medically soaked bathtub due to a bad skin condition, which he contracted from hiding from political enemies, sleeping in damp and dirty clothes, and hiding in the sewers during the early years of the Revolution. Once