Robespierre and the French Revolution
Maximilien Robespierre, in the opinion of some, could be referred to as a victim of his own success. As a member of the Committee of Public Safety, he was responsible for many of the new laws being put into affect in Revolutionary France. Robespierre's benevolent purpose, to have a government that all people were equally represented and treated by the government, as stated in the third article in the Rights on Man as, "The Principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed from the nation", (Declaration of the Rights of Man, 1789), would ultimately be his demise. Over time, Robespierre's ideals changed and his need for power became a stepping-stone that the French nation would have to overcome. Robespierre successfully helped create a government for the common man, and raised the spirits of those same people but after time passed, his greed and power clouded his judgment and changed his motives.In 1789, the National Assembly of France created a document very much similar to the American Constitution, "The Declaration of the Rights of Man". These seventeen articles defined how each member of the nation of France would become a free man. By givin
By July of 1794, Robespierre himself was imprisoned for his abuse of the French public and violations of his own "Rights of Man". With this the common man believed that the representatives in government thought of the rest of the public as equals. Unfortunately the feeling of power developed a sense of greed into this public servant, and caused him to suffer at the hand of his own government. g the French citizens certain inalienable rights, it set a much-needed change from the monarchy of past. Robespierre, like the monarchy before him, had put himself above the law. This is where a lot of the vagueness of the "Rights of Man" came into play, leaving enough room to manipulate the laws to fit their needs. This article by definition, enabled the citizens to have their free opinions, but left it open to the interpretation of the law. Removing the Royalty and instituting a republican government was what this budding nation had needed. Now that all people were considered equal they would have to give up their power. He had given the common man this sense with lines like: "He created the universe to proclaim His power. Starting out as the protector of the common man, he took that trust and developed a government for the People. The citizens began to feel a great sense of pride in the outcome of this bloody revolution. He had become judge and jury, sentencing people to their death for contradicting the popular beliefs. Later that month, he would be beheaded for the same violation.
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