Who was Robespierre?
Maximilien Robespierre (1758–1794) was a French lawyer and revolutionary leader who became the dominant figure of the radical phase of the French Revolution. As head of the Committee of Public Safety, he orchestrated the Reign of Terror (1793–1794), during which thousands were executed by guillotine in the name of revolutionary virtue, before being executed himself in the Thermidorian Reaction.
Maximilien Robespierre is one of history's most controversial figures — a man who championed democracy, human rights, and the abolition of slavery, yet orchestrated a reign of political terror that killed thousands. His trajectory from idealistic lawyer to revolutionary dictator raises enduring questions about the relationship between idealism and violence.
Born in Arras in 1758, Robespierre was a brilliant student who won a scholarship to the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris. He became a lawyer known for defending the poor and powerless. Elected to the Estates-General in 1789, he quickly emerged as a leading voice for radical democracy — universal male suffrage, the abolition of slavery, and the rights of the common people against aristocratic privilege. His incorruptible personal life earned him the nickname 'the Incorruptible.'
As the Revolution radicalized, so did Robespierre. After the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793, France faced invasion by multiple European powers and internal counter-revolutionary rebellion. Robespierre, now the dominant figure on the Committee of Public Safety, argued that emergency measures were necessary to save the Revolution. 'Terror,' he declared, 'is nothing more than speedy, severe, and inflexible justice — it is thus an emanation of virtue.'
The Reign of Terror (September 1793 – July 1794) saw an estimated 17,000 people officially executed and perhaps 40,000 killed in total. The guillotine became the symbol of revolutionary justice. Robespierre sent not only royalists and counter-revolutionaries to their deaths but fellow revolutionaries who disagreed with him — Danton, Hébert, and others. The Revolution was devouring its own children.
Robespierre's fall was swift. On 9 Thermidor (July 27, 1794), the Convention turned against him, fearing they would be next. He was arrested and guillotined the following day, along with his closest allies. His execution ended the Terror and began the more conservative Thermidorian Reaction. The question of whether the Terror was a tragic necessity that saved the Revolution from destruction or an inexcusable descent into tyranny remains one of the most debated questions in modern history.