How Did Robespierre Corrupt France
Maximilien Robespierre managed to take advantage of France’s corrupted state to gain the political authority that was required to transform his radical ideas into actions. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were the King and Queen of France, but were strongly disliked among the majority of the French population due to their lack of leadership skills. Many political groups formed that were against the French Monarchy, including a radical group called the Jacobins.
This party grew to become popular among the people of France through their radical political views. Robespierre joined this group, and used the power it possessed, to become the dictator of France. In an effort to rebuild France, Robespierre took his motives to an extreme which ultimately …show more content…
In 1789, his priority was protecting and defending the people of the third estate. Robespierre often aggressively expressed his revolutionary beliefs to the public, which made him appear as a radical democrat. These speeches caught the eye of a radical political party, the Jacobins, who later welcomed Robespierre into their group. As the constitution was being written, Robespierre was elected a member of the National Convention to represent Paris, where he was a spokesman for the Jacobins. While a member of the Convention, he was inducted into the Committee of Public safety, which oversaw the French government and protected it from its enemies. Tension quickly rose between the revolutionaries and the anti-revolutionaries in France, which sparked a civil war. In the midst of this, the King and Queen tried to escape France as they thought their lives were threatened. When their attempt failed, they were tried for treason then later executed. Through the power Robespierre was given from being a Jacobin, he became the leader of the Committee of Public Safety and soon after, the Dictator of France. Robespierre first decided to end the wars, and by doing so he would establish a “Republic of Virtue”, or a Republic of ethics and morals. He planned on doing this by eliminating anyone who opposed the French Revolution. This period of bloodshed was later the called Reign of Terror because of the ~40,000 people who were executed by guillotine. The Terror produced major success, which made Robespierre want to continue it, even though the incentive was gone. ~85% of the victims from the Terror were peasants, who were the original beneficiaries of the French Revolution. The Jacobins and others from the National Convention all voted for Robespierre’s arrest and execution after they realized what Robespierre had done. The leader of the Terror
This party grew to become popular among the people of France through their radical political views. Robespierre joined this group, and used the power it possessed, to become the dictator of France. In an effort to rebuild France, Robespierre took his motives to an extreme which ultimately …show more content…
In 1789, his priority was protecting and defending the people of the third estate. Robespierre often aggressively expressed his revolutionary beliefs to the public, which made him appear as a radical democrat. These speeches caught the eye of a radical political party, the Jacobins, who later welcomed Robespierre into their group. As the constitution was being written, Robespierre was elected a member of the National Convention to represent Paris, where he was a spokesman for the Jacobins. While a member of the Convention, he was inducted into the Committee of Public safety, which oversaw the French government and protected it from its enemies. Tension quickly rose between the revolutionaries and the anti-revolutionaries in France, which sparked a civil war. In the midst of this, the King and Queen tried to escape France as they thought their lives were threatened. When their attempt failed, they were tried for treason then later executed. Through the power Robespierre was given from being a Jacobin, he became the leader of the Committee of Public Safety and soon after, the Dictator of France. Robespierre first decided to end the wars, and by doing so he would establish a “Republic of Virtue”, or a Republic of ethics and morals. He planned on doing this by eliminating anyone who opposed the French Revolution. This period of bloodshed was later the called Reign of Terror because of the ~40,000 people who were executed by guillotine. The Terror produced major success, which made Robespierre want to continue it, even though the incentive was gone. ~85% of the victims from the Terror were peasants, who were the original beneficiaries of the French Revolution. The Jacobins and others from the National Convention all voted for Robespierre’s arrest and execution after they realized what Robespierre had done. The leader of the Terror