Robespierre And The Reign Of Terror

1793, the beginning of the bloodiest and most brutal historical period of French history that transformed the lives of those living within the Third Estate. Who was responsible for those 50, 000 people that were sent to death by Guillotine? Of the leaders accountable for the numerous beheadings, it is Maximilien Robespierre who was, and still is to this day, known as the face of the violent repression that was The Reign of Terror. Despite there being elements of truth in the traditional portrayal of Robespierre as a brutal and bloodthirsty villain of the Reign of Terror, there is also evidence that he was used as a scapegoat for the Jacobin Committee. Marisa Linton, History Lecturer at Kingston University states that “Robespierre is often cast

Its purpose, to protect the new republic of France against foreign attacks and rebellion within the community. However, as the years progressed on, the Club soon became a symbol of terror within the Third Estate and Bourgeois, despite ironically changing its name to The Committee of Public Safety. In late July 1793 Robespierre became the committee’s spokesman on the floor of the convention, his work playing a critical role in sparking the Reign of Terror. He began by using his power in extreme measures, to rid France of his own personal enemies. ‘In the words of Maximilien Robespierre, “softness to traitors will destroy us all”’ (Steve Thompson and Jennifer Llewellyn’s biography, ‘Maximilien Robespierre.’ 2015). Marisa Linton discusses in her article, ‘Robespierre and the Terror’, that Robespierre, despite being the embodiment of the Terror, “would not have been so influential had he not spoken for a wide swathe of society and government,” (Marisa Linton, “Robespierre and the Terror”, 8th August, 2006) such as the Jacobin Club. She then continues to explain that Robespierre may have taken the blame for an entire government’s false doing. This is supported by Steve Thompson and Jennifer Llewellyn’s biography, ‘Maximilien Robespierre.’ Their opinion is similar to that of Marisa Linton as they believe that Robespierre was “obsessed with virtue and incorruptibility, disinterested in material gain and distractions.” (Steve Thompson and Jennifer Llewellyn’s biography, ‘Maximilien Robespierre.’ 2015). However, in the end, the men who had sentenced Robespierre to his death were more ruthless and cynical revolutionaries than