Maximilien Robespierre

• Maximilien Robespierre


  The most famous Jacobin
• Robespierre was elected to the Estates-General in 1789
• Robespierre


  • A man of standing in Arras, a provincial town in the north of France
  • Previously a lawyer
  • Had a reputation for supporting the underdog and being driven by a genuine sense of liberal justice
  • Opposed the death penalty
• Robespierre's role in the events of 1789 was limited upon arriving at the Estates-General
• Robespierre's influence in the events of 1790 onwards

  1. Quickly developed craft as a master orator

  2. Spoke more than 500 times during the life of the Constituent Assembly

  3. Earned the nickname 'The Incorruptible'

  4. Dedicated himself to his work for the people, not for personal gain

  5. Upheld his beliefs through a simple lifestyle, denouncing the influence of luxuries, drinking and women
• Robespierre's idealism would play a key part in causing the Terror
• Robespierre's views in 1789-90

  More radical than many deputies of the Constituent Assembly, who were exclusively wealthy
• Robespierre's speeches appealed to the members of the Jacobin Club, who consisted of the middle classes as well as the rich
• In March 1790, Robespierre was elected president of the Jacobin Club