Title: Maximilien de Robespierre - Death, Quotes & Facts - Biography
Headings: Maximilien de Robespierre
Quick Facts
Maximilien de Robespierre
Who Was Maximilien de Robespierre?
Early Life
Entering Public Service
Revolutionary or Madman?
Death
Ironic Aftermath
Fact Check
Citation Information
Article Title
Author
Website Name
URL
Access Date
Publisher
Last Updated
Original Published Date
BIOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER

Content: In April 1789, Robespierre was elected president of the powerful Jacobin political faction. A year later, he participated in writing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the foundation of the French constitution. When the people of Paris rose up against King Louis XVI in August 1792, Robespierre was elected to head the Paris delegation to the new National Convention. In December of that year, he successfully argued for the execution of the king and continued to encourage the crowds to rise up against the aristocracy. On July 27, 1793, Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public Safety, formed to oversee the government with virtual dictatorial control. Faced with pressures both from the outside and from within, the Revolutionary government instituted the Reign of Terror in September. In the next 11 months, 300,000 suspected enemies of the Revolution were arrested and more than 17,000 were executed, most by guillotine. In the orgy of bloodshed, Robespierre was able to eliminate many of his political opponents. Seemingly intoxicated with the power over life and death, Robespierre called for more purges and executions. By the summer of 1794, many in the Revolutionary government began to question his motives, as the country was no longer threatened by outside enemies.