Maximilien

Robespierre

Aaron, Nathan, and Tate

Early Life

● Born on May 6, 1758 in Arras, France

● Son of an unsuccessful Lawyer

● His mother died giving birth to a sibling when he was 6

● Father Left home and Robespierre was raised by his grandparents

Schooling

● At age 11 he was given a scholarship to the Lycee-Louis-le-Grand school in Paris

● He was known for his excellent talking skills
● When he was 17 he given the opportunity to give a speech for king Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette
● At the school he was introduced to the philosophy of enlightenment and the works of
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
● Robespierre graduated in 1781 at age 23
The French Revolution Summarized

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEZqarUnVpo
Maximilien in the Revolution

● Maximilien came out as a leader when the people started relying on the Estates General
and not the king
● Maximilien had a growing popularity
● The power of france was moved into the national Assembly
● The assembly worked towards a constitutional Monarchy
● The King and Queen tried to flee France
● They were caught and returned to the palace
● Robespierre called for the trial of the King and the Queen
● After the constitution was made Robespierre was seen as a hero when he went back to
Arras
● The monarchy was officially gone and the Royal family was in custody
● Robespierre was then elected into the governing body which controlled Paris
The Reign Of Terror

● Maximilien oversaw interrogation of royalists of suspected crimes against the state

● Many of the prisoners were massacred by mobs
● 1, 400 people were killed in the first week of September 1792
● The trial of the king began on December 26, 1792
● Executed on January 21, 1793
● In July of 1793 Robespierre was elected to the committee of public safety
● Mass executions were ordered in Lyons
● In September 1793 they passed laws making it easier to sentence people to death
● In June of 1794 he was elected president of the convention
Maximilien Robespierre’s Downfall

● At this point Robespierre went too far

● People started to reject his rule
● A fake letter went around accusing Robespierre of dictatorship which led to his arrest
● He was then freed
● Later Robespierre and his followers in the convention were outlawed
● On July 28, 1794 he became the final victim of his reign and was killed by the guillotine
 Comparisons
Video
https://youtu.be/WawG8U6GJ3c
Maximilien Robespierre’s name causes many
people to think about a monster bent on
executing people. To understand
Robespierre’s position when it comes to
human rights, you must first know a little
more about him and his story.
 His position when it comes human rights
begins with the French monarchy and King
Louis XVI. The monarchy was corrupt and
heavily favoured laws, lower taxes, and
freedoms toward the noble and royal
peoples. Like most people Robespierre
hated that not everything was equal, and
eventually spearheaded the rebellion
against the corrupt monarchy. Executing the
noble and royal people and instituting a
constitutional monarchy.
This is where we find out that Robespierre
was a heavy advocate of human rights and
supported the formation of the “Declaration
of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” and
institute it into the French constitution. This
document is very similar to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and heavily
emphasizes that everyone should be seen
equal in the eyes of the law.
Being a part of “The Committee of Public Safety,”
which was at the heart of the new French
government Robespierre rose to power and led
France from 1793-1794. Because France was having
a civil war and a war against Britain at the same time,
Robespierre enforced martial law. Suspending the
new constitution so that it had no effect anymore and
he could do anything he wanted. Anyone who spoke a
word against him or the revolution were guillotined.
Even speaking nicely about the former monarchy
could get you killed. Nothing was tolerated, people
could be executed for using the formal “Monsieur” or
“Madame” and not the new government formal of
“citizen”.
The people of France were being led and
kept in check through terror. It was a dark
time where people were too scared to do
anything against the government and
Robespierre. Robespierre had successfully
created a dictatorship. Trying to make his
“ideal” society through “one single will” he
had become the very thing he swore to
destroy. Throughout his reign nothing was
close to following the rules in the “Universal
Declaration of Human Rights”.
Articles Robespierre Defiled in the
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”

Article 1 Article 10

Article 2 Article 11

Article 3 Article 12

Article 7 Article 17

Article 8 Article 18

Article 9 Article 20
Reasons why Each Article was Defiled

● Robespierre had people executed sometimes just on a whim,

without real evidence to back it up
● If he wanted someone dead they essentially had no protection
under the law
● People everywhere were subject to arbitrary arrest and
detention
● Since the only recorded people who were executed had trials
(they didn’t record deaths that had no trial) we have no way of
knowing how many people he had killed without trial, if any
● Many people were killed for actions they didn’t commit or things
they didn’t say
Reasons why Each Article was Defiled

● The government regularly arbitrarily took property from

citizens
● People weren't allowed to think or say bad things about the
revolution or good things about the former monarchy
● People were required to follow the state religion
Discussion Questions

1. Based off of you knowledge of MacBeth and now Robespierre, which

tyrants time would you rather live in? Why?
2. Why would Maximilien put the guillotine right in front of the court
house for everyone to see?
3. Why would Robespierre suspend the Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of the Citizen after working so hard to implement it?
Work Cited
Bouloiseau, Marc. "Maximilien Robespierre." Encyclopædia Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 26 Oct. 2018. Web.

"History - Historic Figures: Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)."

BBC. BBC. Web.

Maximilien Robespierre | Biography, Facts, & Execution." Encyclopedia

Britannica. N. p., 2018. Web. 24 Oct. 2018.

Maximilien Robespierre: The Reign Of Terror." YouTube. N. p., 2018.

Web. 31 Oct. 2018.
Works Cited Continued
The French Revolution -In A Nutshell." YouTube. N. p., 2018. Web. 31
Oct. 2018.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United
Nations, www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/.
Work Cited

Human Rights in the US & the International Community - Foundation: Unit II.
What Are Human Rights and Where Do They Come From? - The French Revolution
and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen,
www.unlhumanrights.org/01/0102/0102_09.htm.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen,

www.hrcr.org/docs/frenchdec.html.

History.com, A&E Television Networks,

www.history.com/topics/france/robespierre-and-the-reign-of-terror-video.