Pros And Cons Of Maximilien Robespierre

Maximilien Robespierre, the head of the Jacobin Club of Paris should not be spared a harsh judgment considering his involvement with the thousands of executions during the Reign of Terror.

Robespierre and his Committee of Public Safety attempted to create a “The Republic of Virtue,” which is arguably an impossible task without entirely rebuilding the political systems of France, as one cannot declare another to be virtuous. Rather, creating a virtuous society requires an overturn of the entire system. Although Robespierre’s intentions in forming a “Republic of Virtue” may be admirable, such as the desire to form a republic based on Rousseau’s ideas of reason and natural law, the way in which he enforced his beliefs was immoral. In an attempt to implement reason into society and create his ideal republic, he targeted institutions such as the Old regime and the Catholic Church. As Robespierre’s influence surged, radicals began to mutilate church states. Robespierre even attempted to entirely replace the Catholic religion with his own deistic institute called the Cult of Supreme Being. Moreover, while Robespierre was in power he made reforms to govern family life as well as education. In addition to the radical reforms he implemented in order to create “The Republic of Virtue,” he also caused the execution of thousands of people. Robespierre believed that virtue without

Therefore, the Committee of Public Safety established the Reign of Terror in order to eradicate internal enemies of the republic and appeal to the Sans-Culottes. Despite all of the lives