Inspirational Quotes by Maximilien Robespierre (French Revolutionary)

Maximilien Robespierre (1758–94,) fully Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre, was a French Revolutionary politician and one of the foremost figures in the French Revolution. As the leader of the radical Jacobins in the National Assembly, he backed the execution of Louis XVI, implemented a purge of the Girondists, and initiated the Terror. Still, the following year he fell from favor and was guillotined.

Born of Irish parentage at Arras, Robespierre became a successful advocate and entered the Estates General (National Assembly) in 1789. He aligned with the extreme left and became especially popular with the Paris commune and the radical republican members of the Jacobin Club. His impartiality and support of democratic principles won him the nickname ‘Incorruptible.’

Elected for Paris to the National Convention in 1792, Robespierre arose as the leader of the Mountain (a group of Jacobin extremist Deputies.) He supported Louis XVI’s execution. He purged the National Assembly of ultra-revolutionaries, introduced strict economic control, and established a form of the welfare state.

Robespierre helped establish the Reign of Terror and acted as the virtual dictator of France. His growing autocracy overlapped with a new era of ascendancy for the French army. In the Thermidorian Reaction, he lost his control and was overthrown and guillotined. He was later valued for his social ideals of reducing inequality and ensuring work for all.

Biographies include the University of Illinois-Chicago’s David Jordan’s The Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre (1985) and Gerard Walter’s Robespierre (2 vols., 1961.)

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