Essay - Maximilien Robespierre and the French Revolution According to Simon Schama...

Maximilien Robespierre and the French Revolution

According to Simon Schama in his monumental work Citizens: A Chronicle of ***** French *****, Maximilien Robespierre, one ***** the most important figures linked ***** ***** ***** Revolution, was in essence the first counter-revolutionist and possessed a great admiration for Louis-Sebastien Mercier, a popular writer and journalist, who once said "Reason, with its insidious language can paint the most equivocal enterprise in captivat*****g colors, but the virtuous heart will never *****get ***** interests of the humblest citizen. Let us place the virtuous statesman before the clever politician," meaning that reason does not always benefit the common man or woman and that it is better to have virtuous comm*****rs than corrupted pol*****icians. T***** observation by ***** "was exactly the view ***** Robespierre, for whom... politics ***** *****hing more than public morality" (153).

***** support of this, James M. Thompson in Robespierre ***** the French *****, writes that *****, "a l*****wyer from *****rras... who had, as a student, delivered a Latin address to King Louis XVI on his coronation," had by the early summer of 1789 changed ***** outlook on the ***** and his entire monarchy, for he now "embraced rat*****r different political opinions" (288). Thus, it is abundantly clear that Robespierre possessed some very radical ide***** related to the monarchy and to the entire social system within France ***** and during the French Revolution. As a *****, ***** obviously despised the so-called "***** politicians" as pointed out by Schama and ***** "different political *****" ***** mentioned by *****. Both of ********** authors, with ***** focusing primarily on the overall picture of the ***** Revolution, and Thompson honing in on Robespierre's direct involvement in the revoluti*****, present various images ***** Robespierre that are at times highly comparable but also contrast*****g, no doubt due to the complexity of Robespierre the man and his role and influence in the French Revolution.

***** ***** is firmly ***** to "The Terror," a period of utter brut*****lity ***** witnessed the de*****hs ***** thousands of ***** citizens between 1792 and 1795, it would be best to focus on ***** op*****ions ***** att*****udes toward a myriad of social/***** problems and situations rather than on the events *****mselves, for only in this way can one truly understand his mind and personality. ***** Schama and Thompson approach Robespierre on different levels, yet by comparing ***** contrasting their views, one can easily come to a conclusion regarding the true nature ***** ***** very controversial figure.

***** of all, according ***** Schama, Robespierre was not at first in favor of capital punishment, for he "would have preferred *****right abolition" of the death penalty as held by Cesare Beccaria, a leading penal re*****mer ***** Milan, Italy. But since *****y of the *****onaries were in favor of the death ***** for certa***** crimes and ***** particular individuals, ***** went along with them as long as the method ***** ***** w***** "swift, merciful and utilitarian" (621). Of course, t***** ***** turned out to be Dr. Guillotin's "machine," more commonly known