Maximilien Robespierre was a French lawyer, leader of the radical Jacobins and one of the most influential figures in the French Revolution. Robespierre was also the chairmen of the Committee of Public Safety and one of the leaders of the Reign of Terror, who signed off death certificates. Robespierre helped push the French Revolution along, helping the people to become educated and equipped to revolt against the absolute monarchy and demand for their freedom. What Robespierre meant by his quote was that if people continued to stay uneducated they would also stay in captivity because they would not know that they didn’t have freedom because they were ignorant. Robespierre understood that the once someone became enlightened or educated they not only became a physical threat but also a mental threat to power and the government. …show more content…
Robespierre was influenced greatly by the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which inspired Robespierre’s belief and morals and became the main reason why he fought for equal rights for men and demand for justice and change from the French monarchy. Robespierre was not fond of the French monarchy and believed that they were abusing their power so he used his platform to advocate for change. “Robespierre and his youthful colleague, Saint-Just (1767-94)-also once an opponent of the death penalty led the way in claiming that ‘Louis must die in order for the Revolution to live,” (Robespierre and The Terror). Robespierre’s begin to call for more purges and execution, causing the people and other government officials to question Robespierre’s motives. They began to fear for their lives and in fear of another revolutionary, they decided to overthrow Robespierre and execute