Jul 27, 2007 09:46
From today's WRITERS' ALMANAC:
It was on this day in 1793 that Maximilien de Robespierre, became the head of the Committee of Public Safety, which led to the Reign of Terror in France. Robespierre had started out as an idealistic lawyer, defending the poor people in court, and he often spoke out against the absolute authority of the king. But after the French Revolution, there was fear of civil war. In order to keep French citizens in line, Robespierre came up with a program that became known as the Terror, and he advocated the use of the new guillotine. At first Robespierre executed people who had supported the monarchy. But then he began to execute revolutionaries who were too moderate. And finally, he began to execute people who had merely insulted him or opposed him on one issue or another. And when he singled out someone as a political enemy, he often executed that person's whole family. In a single year, more than 2,000 people were beheaded for having opposed the French Revolution.
Eventually, members of the National Convention began to realize that no one was safe, and even they could be the next victims. So they turned on Robespierre. For more than a year Robespierre had been executing people in the public square to cheering crowds. When Robespierre went to his own death at the guillotine, onlookers said the crowd cheered just as loudly as ever.
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And who was it said, "Those who do not learn from history . . . "? [I COULD look it up, I suppose.]