Assess the role of Maximilien Robespierre in the Reign of Terror, 1792-1794.?

Question

Assess - meaning make a judgement of value, quality, outcomes, result or size.

Answer 1

Ummm, not good?

Answer 2

Pretty much led it.

Answer 3

Maximilien Robespierre, known to his contemporaries as "the Incorruptible," is one of the most controversial and perhaps misunderstood figures of the French Revolution. His name has become symbolic for that period of the Revolution known as the Reign of Terror; certainly he was a man who wielded great influence and power over the course of events of the French Republic between 1792 and 1794; yet different people in different eras had differing opinions of the man and his power. Some, especially his English and Austrian contemporaries, saw him as the Devil incarnate, while others have hailed him as the champion of liberty and the protector of democracy. Some see in him the origins of twentieth century dictatorship along the lines of Stalin or Hitler. Most agree that, for a time, he was the most important man in the Revolution, and it is clear that the reaction of 9th Thermidor (July 27, 1794), which brought about his downfall and execution, also caused the end of the Terror and brought about a new course for the Revolution itself.

It must be recognized that Robespierre was, first and foremost, a nationalist. Like most of his compatriots, his views and policies were colored and shaped by the intense French nationalism sweeping the country. With this fixed firmly in mind, many of Robespierre's actions make perfect sense.

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