Two Snow Peas in the French Revolution

Hello ladies!  Let's switch things up and talk about powerful white men in history for a change.

Robespierre and Napoleon were leaders who may have seemed like two peas in a pod, but as Nicole said, they may have been more like two snow peas since there were some differences between them.

• similarities
• both ruled as dictators
• both rose to power by being politically manipulative
• Napoleon rose to power because of Robespierre and the Reign of Terror's weakness
• differences
• Napoleon was a stronger leader and more well-liked than Robespierre
• Napoleon was focused on strengthening France as an international empire/power while Robespierre was focused on solidifying the home front during wartime with the Reign of Terror

After the execution of King Louis VXI, chaos ensued as the fear of treason overwhelmed everyone.  Louis was killed because people thought he was a traitor, and after his death citizens even attacked prisons filled with accused traitors.

when you want to complain about the government but you know you'll get your head chopped off if you do 

Robespierre justified his use of the Reign of Terror to maintain the loyalty of the French citizens and to stifle dissent from anyone who disagreed with the government.  He took the desire for nationalism too far, however, and executed, beheaded, and imprisoned thousands.  Robespierre argued that society only owes protection to its "peaceable citizens".  People who were not republicans weren't considered true citizens.  Although he restricted people's freedom, it was to keep them safe and protect the state of France.  He disregarded the people of France for the sake of the state.

The reaction to the despotism of the Reign of Terror was known as the Thermidorian reaction.

Immediately after the death of Robespierre and before Napoleon came into power, the new National Convention abolished many economic controls, let prices rise sharply, and restricted the local political organizations where the sans-culottes (lower-class Parisian republicans) had their strength.  They chose a 5-man executive known as the Directory, which continued to support French military expansion to solve economic problems.  This led to a general dissatisfaction with the Directory, which caused them to govern more dictatorially to control their opponents.  Two years later, Napoleon ended the Directory in a coup d'état and substituted a strong dictatorship for another weak one.

when you see bae (aka Napoleon)

Robespierre brought instability, weak leadership, and terror with him and his rule.  As a result, people wanted stability, and Napoleon seemed to be a great replacement.  He was a brilliant military man who was able to rise in the army, and when he learned that some members of the legislature were plotting against the Directory (which replaced the Committee of Public Safety as a 5-person dictatorship), so they organized a takeover to oust the Directors and disband the legislature, putting Napoleon in charge.  Republican appearances were maintained, but Napoleon was the real ruler.  "Confidence from below, authority from above" epitomized this new era.  He ruled effectively despite his ambition and quest for personal glory through territorial expansion because people simply wanted a strong leader and safety, not necessarily freedom at this time.

clearly things were going well for Napoleon

Even though the French Revolution came full circle (from one absolutist ruler to another), Napoleon marked the height of French power with the international power he gained, internal improvements he made within France, and his military achievements.