Dryden Hawn

French Revolution and Robespierre

As the ideas of Enlightenment became more and more popular, France was at a time of

crisis. After funding the Americans to help win their revolution, France was in very deep debt.

To combat this, the government decided to increase taxes and increase the price of bread. Sounds

like a good idea, right? Bread takes up one third of the average French citizen during this time-

period. Mass famine soon plagued France as the royalty in the castles were munching heartily on

cakes and thick soup.(1)

As the famine and strife continued to grow throughout France, Louis XVI’s advisors

hired a financial advisor. This advisor convinced the king to call a meeting of the Estates

General. This is a meeting of a government body which is made of three parts to represent all the

residents of France. The first group consists of royalty. The second is of the clergy. The third

group is made of every other citizen. Because of all the unfair treatment of the third group, a

popular law student by the name of Robespierre decided take a stand for the people of France.

We will go more into detail about Robespierre later. When Robespierre and his associates

arrived t the meeting, they found the door to the embassy to be locked. Instead of attempting to

enter by force, Robespierre decided to host his own meeting where the third party would request

a charter for equal rights for all citizens. This charter came to be known as the charter of the

rights of men. This paved the way for equal rights in France.(1)

It seems that France is falling apart. The king and queen decide to leave Paris for

Versailles. There, they enjoy a comfortable life in a large castle hidden from all the peoples of
Paris. With the king and queen gone, Robespierre gather the people and rallied them to bring the

king and queen back to where they belong in Paris. In response, twenty-thousand citizen matched

on Versailles and demanded that the king and queen return to Paris. When Louis XVI didn’t

answer immediately answer, the mob slaughter the guards and rushed through the palace. The

king finally decided to take his family back to Paris. The mob escorted them back to Paris while

holding pikes and stakes with the guard’s heads on them. (1,3)

King Louis XVI, now back in Paris, thought that the best way to deal with this situation

was to flee to the Austrian border. Secretly, the king and his family snuck through the roads of

France to the border. But, at the last stop before they had made it safely into Austria, the family

was caught by border guards. This then sent them all the way back to Paris. (1)

In Paris, mobs slowly form outside prisons. Day and night, these mobs overwhelm the

guards, raid the prison, and slaughter any inmates with any affiliation with the king. Meanwhile,

Louis XVI is put on trial for high treason. He is convicted and sentenced to death. King Louis

XVI is executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. All of France rejoices for the new era that is

just in it beginning. (1)

Many other trials occur in this period. Among these, the most important of these was the

trial of the queen, Marie Antoinette. Those she posed the argument that she had to take care of

her family, Marie was convicted and sentenced to death. Marie Antoinette was executed by

guillotine on October 14, 1793. With the absent of royalty, Robespierre steps back into the

picture.(1)

Robespierre was born on May 6, 1758. He was born into a broken family in which he

never saw his father very much. He was brought up by his grandparents. By age 8, he was fully
literate. Through his local bishop, he received a scholarship to the University of Paris where he

studied until he was twenty-three. From there, he began work as a lawyer. Slowly but surely,

Robespierre built a larger then life reputation. He became known as “the Incorruptible”. Now,

we have come full circle. As we have previously discussed, Robespierre has been defending the

third party from the Estates General. When the king and queen are executed, Robespierre sees

this as a perfect opportunity to seize power. The only problem is what will he do with his

newfound power. (1,2,3)

When Robespierre assumes power, France is in a state of chaos. To combat this, he uses

fear control the people. His rein would later be known as the rein of terror. To force the people.

Into submission, Robespierre would doubt and suspicion in the citizen’s mind. Because of this,

neighbor turned on neighbor, children turned on parents, and friend turned on friend. Robespierre

would eventually execute sixteen-thousand people through fear and doubt. Eventually, many

people became suspicious and accused Robespierre of treason. He was tried and found guilty. He

was then put to death through the guillotine. Even “the Incorruptible” could become

corrupted.(2)

In conclusion, the French revolution brought many things to France. It brought equal

rights to all people, bread to the poor, and democracy to France. After the death of Robespierre,

democracy moved to France and a new republic was a born. A republic which accepted the new

ideas and ideals of the Age of Enlightenment and gave all men equal rights. With no more class

systems and unfair laws, France was at the begin of a great period, the Age of Enlightenment.

(1,2)
 Works Cited

1. “French Revolution.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Dec. 2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution.

2. “Maximilien Robespierre.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Dec. 2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilien_Robespierre.

3. History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/french-

revolution/videos/robespierre-and-the-reign-of-

terror?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false.