“Citizens, did you want a revolution without a revolution?” – Maximilien Robespierre
In many ways it is fitting that Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794) is one of the best known figures of the French Revolution, if not its most famous. The early years of the Revolution were fueled by Enlightenment ideals, seeking the social overthrow of the caste system that gave the royalty and aristocracy decisive advantages over the lower classes. Few were as vocal in their support of Enlightenment ideals as Robespierre, who was heavily versed in Rousseau and Montesquieu, a champion of the bourgeoise, and an advocate of human rights who opposed both slavery and the death penalty.
But history remembers the French Revolution in a starkly different way, as the same leaders who sought a more democratic system while out of power devolved into establishing an incredibly repressive tyranny of their own once they acquired it. For that reason, the Reign of Terror became the most memorable aspect of the Revolution, and at the head of it all was Robespierre, whose position on the Committee of Public Safety made him the Reign of Terror’s instrumental figure, until he himself became a victim of the Revolution’s extremism.
Robespierre has remained one of the Revolution’s most controversial figures, an enigma in both life and death. Known as “The Incorruptible” to supporters and a bloodthirsty dictator to his opponents, what all could agree on was that he was a vital figure during one of history’s most momentous events.
Marat’s work during the French Revolution and his notorious death at the height of it remain the best known details of his life. Indeed, the image of the Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David is one of the most commonly associated with the Revolution. But those facts have obscured what the man himself was really like. A trained scientist who served as a doctor before the Revolution, Marat counted among his acquaintances luminaries like Goethe and Benjamin Franklin. At the same time, Marat was an Enlightened political philosopher who advocated for basic human rights and reforms such as fair trials by jury.
Of course, all of his work took a backseat to his writing as “Friend of the People” at the beginning of the Revolution, setting Marat down his fateful path. Perhaps no revolutionary has a more controversial legacy; Marat has long been praised by those who appreciate his work on behalf of the masses, and reviled by those who point out his violence and the course of the Jacobin-led Reign of Terror. Leaders of the Jacobins looks at the life and work of one of history’s most famous revolutionaries, explaining his role in the French Revolution and analyzing his legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Marat like you never have before, in no time at all.
