Assess the reasons for the rise of Robespierre
Intro:
Robespierre was influenced by ideas of Rousseau – had legal
training and practised as a lawyer
First came to national attention in 1789 when he was elected as
deputy to the Estates-General
Became well known for his Jacobin views and belief in democracy
1792 – elected to National Convention, then joined CPS
Was the driving force behind the Terror
Paragraph 1: Weakness of the Republic – not the most important
Robespierre was a Jacobin leader, nicknamed the ‘Incorruptible’ and
influenced by Rousseau’s ideas in ‘The Social Contract’
o He believed that anyone who wouldn’t submit to the general
will as he interpreted it should be executed
o In particular, he wanted a government based on a ‘single will’
Low turn-out in elections 10.2% voted in 1791 partly due to a
fear of victimisation
o Robespierre presided over elections and excluded any
candidates of royalist sympathies
September 1792 proclaimed a republic but failed to enact a
republican government
o France was little more republican in feeling or practise than it
had been before the Revolution but was forced to become a
Republic because it no longer had a King
Did not have the support of the National Guard E.g. in October
Days 20,000 from National Guard had joined 7000 women in the
March to Versailles to force Louis XVI to accept the August Decrees
and the new Declaration
On 2 June, 80,000 armed sans-culottes surrounded the Convention.
After an attempt of deputies to leave was stopped with guns, the
deputies resigned themselves to declare the arrest of 29 leading
Girondins
o In that way, the Gironde ceased to be a political force
Economic crisis confiscation of Church land done to provide funds
for new government
o Land used as security for printing of assignats and assignats
themselves began circulating as paper currency
o Government met demand for assignats by printing more, but
with finite amount of land available this led to inflation
o Within 6 years, assignats had lost 99% of their value
Robespierre was adept at eliminating political rivals through his
influence in the Committee of Public Safety.
o His role in purging perceived enemies of the revolution,
including the Girondins and other moderate factions,
consolidated his power within the Jacobin government.
, o Fall of Danton in 1791 – main political rival executed, and he
was able to consolidate his power in the Jacobin club
o Fall of Danton was accompanied by a heightened sense of
urgency and crisis – Robespierre portrayed himself as a strong
and uncompromising leader
Not the most important:
Weakness of the Republic was exacerbated by the growing threat of
invasion and growing violence almost unable to be stopped
Paragraph 2: Political advocacy for the lower classes – not most
important
Robespierre was known for his strong intellectual convictions and
commitment to political ideals. He was a prominent figure among
the Jacobins, a political club advocating for radical republicanism.
o Robespierre firmly believed in the principles of the French
Revolution, including liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Robespierre portrayed himself as a defender of the poor and the
common people.
o His advocacy for economic equality and social justice
resonated with the lower classes, contributing to his
popularity.
o He positioned himself as a champion of the sans-culottes, the
urban working class of Paris.
o In April 1793, Robespierre advocated at the Jacobin Club for
the mobilization of a sans-culotte army aiming at enforcing
revolutionary laws and eliminating any counter-revolutionary
elements.
o This call led to the armed Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June
1793. The Montagnards now had unchallenged control of the
Convention.
Robespierre repeated in the Jacobin club the necessity of founding a
revolutionary army consisting of sans-culottes, paid by a tax on the
rich, to beat the aristocrats inside France and the convention.
Robespierre expressed a desire for liberty that the sans-culottes
admired.
o They pushed the committee for radical changes and often
found a voice with Robespierre.
o Their desperate desire for immediate changes and their
aptitude for violence made the sans-culottes a necessary
group in implementing the Terror.
Not the most important:
Intro:
Robespierre was influenced by ideas of Rousseau – had legal
training and practised as a lawyer
First came to national attention in 1789 when he was elected as
deputy to the Estates-General
Became well known for his Jacobin views and belief in democracy
1792 – elected to National Convention, then joined CPS
Was the driving force behind the Terror
Paragraph 1: Weakness of the Republic – not the most important
Robespierre was a Jacobin leader, nicknamed the ‘Incorruptible’ and
influenced by Rousseau’s ideas in ‘The Social Contract’
o He believed that anyone who wouldn’t submit to the general
will as he interpreted it should be executed
o In particular, he wanted a government based on a ‘single will’
Low turn-out in elections 10.2% voted in 1791 partly due to a
fear of victimisation
o Robespierre presided over elections and excluded any
candidates of royalist sympathies
September 1792 proclaimed a republic but failed to enact a
republican government
o France was little more republican in feeling or practise than it
had been before the Revolution but was forced to become a
Republic because it no longer had a King
Did not have the support of the National Guard E.g. in October
Days 20,000 from National Guard had joined 7000 women in the
March to Versailles to force Louis XVI to accept the August Decrees
and the new Declaration
On 2 June, 80,000 armed sans-culottes surrounded the Convention.
After an attempt of deputies to leave was stopped with guns, the
deputies resigned themselves to declare the arrest of 29 leading
Girondins
o In that way, the Gironde ceased to be a political force
Economic crisis confiscation of Church land done to provide funds
for new government
o Land used as security for printing of assignats and assignats
themselves began circulating as paper currency
o Government met demand for assignats by printing more, but
with finite amount of land available this led to inflation
o Within 6 years, assignats had lost 99% of their value
Robespierre was adept at eliminating political rivals through his
influence in the Committee of Public Safety.
o His role in purging perceived enemies of the revolution,
including the Girondins and other moderate factions,
consolidated his power within the Jacobin government.
, o Fall of Danton in 1791 – main political rival executed, and he
was able to consolidate his power in the Jacobin club
o Fall of Danton was accompanied by a heightened sense of
urgency and crisis – Robespierre portrayed himself as a strong
and uncompromising leader
Not the most important:
Weakness of the Republic was exacerbated by the growing threat of
invasion and growing violence almost unable to be stopped
Paragraph 2: Political advocacy for the lower classes – not most
important
Robespierre was known for his strong intellectual convictions and
commitment to political ideals. He was a prominent figure among
the Jacobins, a political club advocating for radical republicanism.
o Robespierre firmly believed in the principles of the French
Revolution, including liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Robespierre portrayed himself as a defender of the poor and the
common people.
o His advocacy for economic equality and social justice
resonated with the lower classes, contributing to his
popularity.
o He positioned himself as a champion of the sans-culottes, the
urban working class of Paris.
o In April 1793, Robespierre advocated at the Jacobin Club for
the mobilization of a sans-culotte army aiming at enforcing
revolutionary laws and eliminating any counter-revolutionary
elements.
o This call led to the armed Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June
1793. The Montagnards now had unchallenged control of the
Convention.
Robespierre repeated in the Jacobin club the necessity of founding a
revolutionary army consisting of sans-culottes, paid by a tax on the
rich, to beat the aristocrats inside France and the convention.
Robespierre expressed a desire for liberty that the sans-culottes
admired.
o They pushed the committee for radical changes and often
found a voice with Robespierre.
o Their desperate desire for immediate changes and their
aptitude for violence made the sans-culottes a necessary
group in implementing the Terror.
Not the most important:
