Robespierre (I think)

So before I begin let me just provide everyone with a gif to sum up my feelings in class today: 



Ok so anyway, 

We started off by talking about justifying Robespierre's use of terror to govern the people of France 

Maeve said that she does not support killing people, but understands why Robespierre did it (seems a little sus to me) 
This is why: 
- The reason he killed people was because he wanted everyone to listen to him 
- he didn't want any opposition to him or his new and improved revolutionary government 

- so any opposition that he saw or heard, he got rid of (by means of killing) 

I don't know about you, but he sounds like a pretty insecure guy to me. 

Don't get me wrong, he started out with great ideas, like: a virtuous government that served the public interests instead of particular (private) interests 
He also had his own definition of terror: terror= justice 
- by justice he meant justice for the bad guys, who were the guys who opposed him and his government and were therefore endangering the whole of France 
- so therefore, his use of terror was intended to serve the public interests and the common good 
(if he kills the bad people, then the only ones left are the good people! #logic) 

But this is still a problem, because killing people is not ok... 
As Lily so greatly put it: He wanted a democratic republic, but was going about it in a very anti-democratic republic way 
- It's kind of like Machiavelli, who stated that the ends justify the means 
- Robespierre definitely thought that the ends (killing everyone) justified the means (France becomes great!) 

- So because of these ideas, at first a lot of people supported him, especially the sans culottes 
- BUT, then they realized that he was killing people, which went against his platform of everyone having rights 
Well ya don't have rights if your being killed now do ya!? 


So then his supporters started to back off, horrified by what he was doing 

- he tried to make people believe this was the best and only way to create democracy (by killing off your enemies) but that kind of back-fired on him 
- he was eventually executed himself (as Mr. Yarnall LOVES to say- was shaved by the revolutionary guillotine) 

SO, your probably like, that sure escalated quickly... how the heck did that happen? 

well, we never really answered that question in class (unless we did and i just couldn't hear from my island on the other side of the room) 

But I'm going to go with my gut here: 

- At first, the revolution was all about overthrowing a despot who cared about no one but himself (because people needed bread!) but then, after they successfully killed Louis, everyone was like what now? 
- Now the group of people on the National Assembly are in charge, and they're more annoying than ever! 
- so the people are kind of confused as to who's in charge, because they're used to one person, and then Robespierre comes around and starts killing everyone off 
- The fact that a bunch of revolutionary weirdos were running France gave the other nations some serious anxiety, and thats when all hell broke loose (aka war internally and externally, and the downfall of the assemebly and pretty much France, until Napoleon who we didn't actually talk about today)