Robespierre

Abstract

Two centuries after the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre is still regarded as its towering figure. Perceived by some as the champion, indeed the incarnation, of the Revolution's purest and noblest ideals, among others he will always be remembered as the reasoned advocate of the Terror, the defender of mass killing during the Revolution's darkest and most tragic phase. This volume comprises essays by an array of international scholars and examines Robespierre's life and work from three main perspectives: his ideology and vision of the Revolution, his role in the period's tumultous politics, culminating in his year on the Committee of Public Safety in 1793–94, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century representations of the Incorruptible - by historians, dramatists and writers of fiction. This book illuminates many facets of Robespierre's career, thought and reputation, and provides a balanced and up-to-date appraisal of one of the great figures of European history.