Robespierre: A Portrait Against the Backdrop of the Guillotine

Maximilien Robespierre — at once a symbol of revolution and the executioner of his former allies, a reformer-liberator and a watchful tyrant, an “incorruptible” statesman and a possessed fanatic. After his death by the guillotine, he ceased to be merely a historical figure and became a grim myth. But is it possible to give a clear, unambiguous definition to a man whose life was woven from contradictions, calculated strategy, and unceasing struggle? Can a modern perspective on his decisions and political course bring us closer to understanding his character? By examining these and other questions, the compilers of this edition — historians Philippe Bourdin and Michel Biard — explore Robespierre’s cultural and historical legacy.

“ This man and his legacy must be studied again and again to understand better; work with his images, carefully preserve the memory of him, and deepen historiography. All of this, he himself — often quite unintentionally — prompted both in the heat and in the tragedy of revolutionary events: in the collective unconscious, repeatedly appearing on the pages of national literature under the influence of political upheavals, sometimes with an abundance of archival evidence, and sometimes, by contrast, with a regrettable lack of what is left unsaid. ” (Philippe Bourdin, Michel Biard)