What do you think?
Rate this book
Robespierre and the Festival of the Supreme Being: The search for a republican morality
This study examines an important event in the French Revolution and a defining moment in the career of its principal actor, Maximilien Robespierre: the Festival of the Supreme Being. This day of national celebration was held to inaugurate the new state religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being, and while traditionally it has been dismissed as a compulsory political event, this book redefines its importance as a hugely popular national event. Hitherto unused or disregarded source material offers new perspectives on the national reaction to Robespierre's creation of the Festival and of his search for a new republican morality. This is the first ever detailed study in English of this area of French Revolutionary history, and the first in any language since 1988 It will be welcomed by scholars and students of the period.
- GenresHistoryFranceNonfiction
200 pages, Hardcover
Published August 23, 2016
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2024
An extensive historical account of "The Festival of the Supreme Being," which was held on 20 Prairie Year II in the Revolutionary calendar that the Jacobins used, which translates to June 8, 1794. This was an attempt by Robespierre to unite the French Republic’s patriotic citizenry and a Rousseauian notion of civic virtue under a deistic civil religion.
Smyth delineates what happened at the main festival in Paris and its short-lived existence as a phenomenon with spin-offs all over France. A fascinating (and failed) experiment in establishing a secular religion. Specifically, in contrast to the Cult of Reason, which was also a short-lived state-promoted atheistic religion. Napoleon banned both when he came into power. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in this period or case in history.
Smyth delineates what happened at the main festival in Paris and its short-lived existence as a phenomenon with spin-offs all over France. A fascinating (and failed) experiment in establishing a secular religion. Specifically, in contrast to the Cult of Reason, which was also a short-lived state-promoted atheistic religion. Napoleon banned both when he came into power. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in this period or case in history.
June 26, 2026
This is a very good, in depth, account of the Festival of the Supreme Being, held in revolutionary France in 1794. The author has looked at all the source material in depth, and established how popular the Festival was, both in Paris and in the provinces. The festival was not an aberration, but reflected a deeply held belief of a lot of the French when it occurred.
There are, however, a few problems. The author refers to Catholic morality as having been destroyed during the Revolution. This was never the case. He seems to be confusing issues of religious practice with moral beliefs (not in themselves the same thing as theological beliefs). No doubt many of the populus thought that morality was intrinsically connected with the outer trappings of religious practice, but the revolution did not make this confusion.
He also refers to the 'atheist faction' in the Convention (p.20). There were some atheists in the Convention (they were far from being a majority) and they did not form a coherent political faction. Nor was atheism ever a feature of political life (p.155) except for a few months at the end of 1793/beginning of 1794. It had no status as part of government policy at all. A medallion created for the cult of Reason, often regarded as atheistic, shows the All-seeing Eye of the Supreme Being inside a triangle. This was a standard way of depicting the Supreme Being at the time.
With these caveats, this book can be thoroughly recommended.
There are, however, a few problems. The author refers to Catholic morality as having been destroyed during the Revolution. This was never the case. He seems to be confusing issues of religious practice with moral beliefs (not in themselves the same thing as theological beliefs). No doubt many of the populus thought that morality was intrinsically connected with the outer trappings of religious practice, but the revolution did not make this confusion.
He also refers to the 'atheist faction' in the Convention (p.20). There were some atheists in the Convention (they were far from being a majority) and they did not form a coherent political faction. Nor was atheism ever a feature of political life (p.155) except for a few months at the end of 1793/beginning of 1794. It had no status as part of government policy at all. A medallion created for the cult of Reason, often regarded as atheistic, shows the All-seeing Eye of the Supreme Being inside a triangle. This was a standard way of depicting the Supreme Being at the time.
With these caveats, this book can be thoroughly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews