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A Wicked History
Robespierre: Master of the Guillotine
The wicked ways of some of the most ruthless rulers to walk the earth are revealed in these thrilling biographies about men and women so monstrous, they make Frankenstein look like a sweetheart.
128 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 5, 2014
October 17, 2014
The French revolution was a war that exhibited great tension and suffering from people of France. In fact, the population was divided in numerous estates depending on one’s political and social status. For instance, members of the clergy (priests, religious matters, etc.) composed the First Estate, nobles composed the Second Estate, and the rest made the Third Estate. John DiConsiglio, the author, gathered a sufficient amount of background information to comprehend Maximilien Robespierre’s ascension. Indeed, Robespierre’s life goal is to support the people that were oppressed. As a result, he influenced many individuals to revolt and claim for a fairer society that satisfied all of the population. Furthermore, Robespierre was elected to be part of representative assembly for the Third Estate. Also, he became the leader an extremist group that desired of death or exile of nobles and royalty.
Inequality is one of the principal reasons to France’s revolution. Indeed, the majority of the people of France were socially mistreated due lack of rights lower social classes had. For instance, DiConsiglo describes how the higher classes were able to create considerable inconveniences, if anybody of lower classes caused annoyance to higher classes. Moreover, the person trialed had a scarce chance of having an honest and fair trial. Secondly, the taxes, low salary, and the high price of food mainly affected the Third Estate. Indeed, the Third Estate was the sole affected by high taxes, poverty, and lack of jobs. Indeed, DiConsiglio clearly stated, “Some members of the Third Estate had money; others lived in poverty. But whether rich or poor, they had few rights. The Third Estate paid all the taxes. But they couldn’t hold important jobs in the government or the military” (DiConsiglo 21). Therefore, one is able to prominently see that inequality present in France was altered by principals such liberty, fraternity, equality.
The setting utilized was crucial to understand the circumstances of certain situations. Indeed, DiConsiglio was able to make historical and religious connections depending on locations. For instance, Arras (birth place of Robespierre) was described as a religious location, while Parisians were considered sinners, “Arras was known at the time as the city of a hundred steeples. Everywhere visitors looked, they saw church towers, cathedrals, and covenants. The people of Arras considered themselves religious. And tended to view Parisian city folk as sinners.” (DiConsiglo 16). Secondly, the detailed luxury places stated, emphasized numerous ideas, including inequality. For example, Versailles’s construction emphasized the difference of economical and social of royalty compared to middle class. In fact, nobles and royalty lived comfortably, while middle class people lived in misery. Therefore, the setting contributed to the understanding of political and social issues present in France.
October 24, 2014
France was exposed to a great crisis. In fact, the heavy rain and snow is an example that demonstrated why has the price of food raised so much. Robespierre on his side was able to convince people that their constitution should be altered. Indeed, rights of civilians were improved considerably. Moreover, the renewed constitution also stipulated the king’s power should be lowered. As a result, Louis XVI, the king of France had the will to leave France. He was able to make an alliance with Prussia (Germany) and Austria in order to ensure his safety. Nevertheless, he was caught and taken to prison. Robespierre soon was one of the nation’s new leaders. In fact, he was the principal motive to the assassination of the former king of France.
Change is always intriguing, but could have negative aspects. DiConsiglio repeated numerous times the will of change the people of France had. First of all, one was able to realize the alteration of power and authorities. For instance, the Third Estate was able to obtain power by assassinating the former king, Louis XVI. Secondly, one was able to discern a gradual change in Robespierre’s mindset. In fact, an example is shown when he sentenced Louis XVI to death, “Robespierre proposed a different solution… The king must die so that the country may live. What happened to Robespierre’s famous hatred of the death penalty?” (DiConsiglio 84). Therefore, one can see that actions should often be taken to extremities in order to accomplish what is desired.
Determination, anger, and an extremist mindset are a couple of examples demonstrating characteristics that were demonstrated by the people of France. In fact, the people anxiously demanded the improvement of their rights by the use of violence and anger. Indeed, an example of so happened during the fall of the Bastille, “De Launay and his soldiers were captured… They stabbed and shot him again and again… Back in Versailles, king Louis XVI learned that the Bastille has fallen. He reportedly asked an advisor, is this a revolt? The advisor responded, no sire it is a revolution.” (DiConsiglio 44). Secondly, Robespierre’s extremist mindset is the cause of most of the rebel’s action. For example, the deaths of religious priests, nobles, and king Louis XVI all came from the extremist ideology forged by Robespierre’s mind. Furthermore, the usage of his invention the guillotine increased substantially the amount of people slaughtered. To conclude, one is able to see the astonishing influence Robespierre had with the use of his extremism and ideologies.
October 31, 2014
Robespierre was the reason of the growing chaos in France. He based his ideology of the ideal France by exterminating all his enemies. Indeed, he was able to get rid of most his nemeses, by accusing them of treason, even if most of them were innocents. The revolution that Robespierre envisioned has become an act that was fundamental to accomplish. In fact, he would create a state of terror in order to establish “order”. Furthermore, even his loyal companion, Danton, was realizing the insanity and madness his friend has gotten in. Nevertheless, even his devoted and close companion was sacrificed by his order to the guillotine. Later on, rebels were able to see that Robespierre was not a sane person, as this mass killing was not necessary. As a result, he was sent in front of the mechanism that he utilized to slaughter thousands of individuals.
Power is a concept in which all nations of the world struggle with, as it might lead to their instability or destruction. Robespierre on his side is the ideal example of so. Indeed, the power that he had been given altered most of Robespierre’s initial thoughts or conceptions. Death penalty is an example of such, as he demanded the king’s extermination,“ The king must die so that the country may live... What happened to Robespierre’s famous hatred about death penalty?” (DiConsiglio 84). Furthermore, Robespierre’s considerable amount of power has altered his sanity as well. As a matter of fact, his inability to realize how the mass killing he started created chaos instead of establishing the freedom and peace he initially idealized. Therefore, one is able to comprehend that power is an aspect that deserves great responsibility and a sane mind.
Fighting for rights is always remarkable, however using terror does not contribute to their application. Robespierre had fought to give people rights they deserved, however he is not remembered for these ideas. Indeed, power that Robespierre has been given contributed to his madness. For example, the ideologies to create France an ideal place were based on terror and violence. Secondly, DiConsiglio also emphasized how arrogant Robespierre has become. Indeed, an example demonstrating so was during a conversation he had with his friend Danton, “ Danton challenged him: who was to decide what was best for the people? Without hesitation Robespierre replied that he would.” (Di Consiglio 107). Therefore, one is able to see that extremities and arrogance are traits that caused Robespierre to perish.
The French revolution was a war that exhibited great tension and suffering from people of France. In fact, the population was divided in numerous estates depending on one’s political and social status. For instance, members of the clergy (priests, religious matters, etc.) composed the First Estate, nobles composed the Second Estate, and the rest made the Third Estate. John DiConsiglio, the author, gathered a sufficient amount of background information to comprehend Maximilien Robespierre’s ascension. Indeed, Robespierre’s life goal is to support the people that were oppressed. As a result, he influenced many individuals to revolt and claim for a fairer society that satisfied all of the population. Furthermore, Robespierre was elected to be part of representative assembly for the Third Estate. Also, he became the leader an extremist group that desired of death or exile of nobles and royalty.
Inequality is one of the principal reasons to France’s revolution. Indeed, the majority of the people of France were socially mistreated due lack of rights lower social classes had. For instance, DiConsiglo describes how the higher classes were able to create considerable inconveniences, if anybody of lower classes caused annoyance to higher classes. Moreover, the person trialed had a scarce chance of having an honest and fair trial. Secondly, the taxes, low salary, and the high price of food mainly affected the Third Estate. Indeed, the Third Estate was the sole affected by high taxes, poverty, and lack of jobs. Indeed, DiConsiglio clearly stated, “Some members of the Third Estate had money; others lived in poverty. But whether rich or poor, they had few rights. The Third Estate paid all the taxes. But they couldn’t hold important jobs in the government or the military” (DiConsiglo 21). Therefore, one is able to prominently see that inequality present in France was altered by principals such liberty, fraternity, equality.
The setting utilized was crucial to understand the circumstances of certain situations. Indeed, DiConsiglio was able to make historical and religious connections depending on locations. For instance, Arras (birth place of Robespierre) was described as a religious location, while Parisians were considered sinners, “Arras was known at the time as the city of a hundred steeples. Everywhere visitors looked, they saw church towers, cathedrals, and covenants. The people of Arras considered themselves religious. And tended to view Parisian city folk as sinners.” (DiConsiglo 16). Secondly, the detailed luxury places stated, emphasized numerous ideas, including inequality. For example, Versailles’s construction emphasized the difference of economical and social of royalty compared to middle class. In fact, nobles and royalty lived comfortably, while middle class people lived in misery. Therefore, the setting contributed to the understanding of political and social issues present in France.
October 24, 2014
France was exposed to a great crisis. In fact, the heavy rain and snow is an example that demonstrated why has the price of food raised so much. Robespierre on his side was able to convince people that their constitution should be altered. Indeed, rights of civilians were improved considerably. Moreover, the renewed constitution also stipulated the king’s power should be lowered. As a result, Louis XVI, the king of France had the will to leave France. He was able to make an alliance with Prussia (Germany) and Austria in order to ensure his safety. Nevertheless, he was caught and taken to prison. Robespierre soon was one of the nation’s new leaders. In fact, he was the principal motive to the assassination of the former king of France.
Change is always intriguing, but could have negative aspects. DiConsiglio repeated numerous times the will of change the people of France had. First of all, one was able to realize the alteration of power and authorities. For instance, the Third Estate was able to obtain power by assassinating the former king, Louis XVI. Secondly, one was able to discern a gradual change in Robespierre’s mindset. In fact, an example is shown when he sentenced Louis XVI to death, “Robespierre proposed a different solution… The king must die so that the country may live. What happened to Robespierre’s famous hatred of the death penalty?” (DiConsiglio 84). Therefore, one can see that actions should often be taken to extremities in order to accomplish what is desired.
Determination, anger, and an extremist mindset are a couple of examples demonstrating characteristics that were demonstrated by the people of France. In fact, the people anxiously demanded the improvement of their rights by the use of violence and anger. Indeed, an example of so happened during the fall of the Bastille, “De Launay and his soldiers were captured… They stabbed and shot him again and again… Back in Versailles, king Louis XVI learned that the Bastille has fallen. He reportedly asked an advisor, is this a revolt? The advisor responded, no sire it is a revolution.” (DiConsiglio 44). Secondly, Robespierre’s extremist mindset is the cause of most of the rebel’s action. For example, the deaths of religious priests, nobles, and king Louis XVI all came from the extremist ideology forged by Robespierre’s mind. Furthermore, the usage of his invention the guillotine increased substantially the amount of people slaughtered. To conclude, one is able to see the astonishing influence Robespierre had with the use of his extremism and ideologies.
October 31, 2014
Robespierre was the reason of the growing chaos in France. He based his ideology of the ideal France by exterminating all his enemies. Indeed, he was able to get rid of most his nemeses, by accusing them of treason, even if most of them were innocents. The revolution that Robespierre envisioned has become an act that was fundamental to accomplish. In fact, he would create a state of terror in order to establish “order”. Furthermore, even his loyal companion, Danton, was realizing the insanity and madness his friend has gotten in. Nevertheless, even his devoted and close companion was sacrificed by his order to the guillotine. Later on, rebels were able to see that Robespierre was not a sane person, as this mass killing was not necessary. As a result, he was sent in front of the mechanism that he utilized to slaughter thousands of individuals.
Power is a concept in which all nations of the world struggle with, as it might lead to their instability or destruction. Robespierre on his side is the ideal example of so. Indeed, the power that he had been given altered most of Robespierre’s initial thoughts or conceptions. Death penalty is an example of such, as he demanded the king’s extermination,“ The king must die so that the country may live... What happened to Robespierre’s famous hatred about death penalty?” (DiConsiglio 84). Furthermore, Robespierre’s considerable amount of power has altered his sanity as well. As a matter of fact, his inability to realize how the mass killing he started created chaos instead of establishing the freedom and peace he initially idealized. Therefore, one is able to comprehend that power is an aspect that deserves great responsibility and a sane mind.
Fighting for rights is always remarkable, however using terror does not contribute to their application. Robespierre had fought to give people rights they deserved, however he is not remembered for these ideas. Indeed, power that Robespierre has been given contributed to his madness. For example, the ideologies to create France an ideal place were based on terror and violence. Secondly, DiConsiglio also emphasized how arrogant Robespierre has become. Indeed, an example demonstrating so was during a conversation he had with his friend Danton, “ Danton challenged him: who was to decide what was best for the people? Without hesitation Robespierre replied that he would.” (Di Consiglio 107). Therefore, one is able to see that extremities and arrogance are traits that caused Robespierre to perish.
June 18, 2018
I'm currently working on a book that takes place after the French Revolution, so this was an interesting read to learn more about Robespierre and his politics in a very simple, easy to understand manner. The Wicked History series are really well formatted with short, engaging chapters and lots of visuals. This really felt more like a brief history of the Revolution than a biography of Robespierre himself, but it is important to understand the dynamics of the revolution in order to see how Robespierre changed. I'm not sure how many middle school kids learn about the French Revolution, but from what I've heard, this is a popular series and Robespierre is an important figure to learn about.
September 12, 2011
A quick and dirty overview of the French Revolution and Robespierre's insane role in it. The Wicked History series is great fun to read. Their books are a manageable length, most weighing in at just over 100 pages, which is often the required length for biography reading assignments in school. The writing is snappy and fresh. This volume provides very helpful end matter including a timeline, glossary, index and a list of books and web sites for further study. And the covers are enormously appealing, because we all know that people DO judge books by their covers.
August 30, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
In the mid eighteenth century, there were three classes, yet two were wealthy and powerful. Each class was had an estate. Primarily, there was the First Estate was the clergy, which consisted of the French Catholic Church. Worshipers gave the clergy a massive amount of money and in addition to that, priests “charged to pray for the poor” (DiConsiglio 20). Furthermore, the Second Estate was the one of nobles. Nobles were people who were born into an upper-class family. Nobles had positions such as in the church, the government, and the army, which were one of the highest positions. Moreover, since nobles owned an excessive amount of land, they collected taxes from the rents of farmer or commonly known as peasants who worked on their property. All in all, both the clergy and the nobles were the highest classes where they were superior from the Third Estate.
The Third Estate lived in complete unfairness. Initially, members of the Third Estate would easily be arrested for minor offensive acts. For instance, nobles could easily get “secret arrest warrants for nearly anyone who annoyed them” (DiConsiglio 22). If they were accused for a crime the chances for the trail to go out fairly were extremely low. Secondly, being in prison for the Third Estate was one of the most dangerous places. As a matter of fact, in the prison Bastille that is located in Paris, torturing was common. The food was extremely horrible and medical care was bad. It became so common that it was famous for the Third Estate. To conclude, the Third Estate were treated badly with unfair trails even with minor offenses and were treated badly in prisons especially in the prison of Bastille.
At the top of the class system was the king who owned a large palace called Versailles. It was located outside of Paris. First, the palace was practically like a city. Precisely, it was “nearly thirty seven thousand acres of land” (DiConsiglio 23). This was all cleared to become terraces and gardens. Secondly, the house could hold five thousand people and the let a lone the courtyard, which had one thousand four hundred fountains and four hundred sculptures. In conclusion, the king’s castle was extremely large and beautiful showing the dominance of the wealthy during the eighteenth century.
Jaqueline’s death caused trouble for Robespierre’s father. Jaqueline was the wife of Robespierre’s father. Jaqueline had several other children after Maximilien including Charlotte, Henriette, and Augustin. Jaqueline, who was twenty-nine, had another child, which miserably caused her death. Maximilien’s father started “drinking, borrowing money, and stayed out all night” (DiConsiglio 25). Secondly, he stopped practicing law and even disappeared for weeks. In the end, Robespierre father disappeared for good, but it crushed Maximilien who changed and became serious and hardworking.
Friday, February 13, 2015
The people of France started to defy the king. Primarily, the Third Estate endeavored equality and therefore did numerous revolts. Hungry crowds continuously revolted in the streets of Paris. To add, even the royal troops refused to report for duty. The troop’s confidence decreased. Moreover, the crowd kept on attacking cities. They burned guardhouses, raided a monastery to steal grain, and destroyed walls. Secondly, the nobles and clergymen commenced to join the National Assembly to debate matters. After the troops refused to carry their duties, there were forty-eight supplementary “nobles that joined the National Assembly” (DiConsiglio 41). All in all, the French revolution was instigating.
On July fourteen, an angry mob departed to Bastille for weapons. Bastille was a cruel prison where several individuals from the Third Estate were detained. It became tremendously common for people from the Third Estate to be imprisoned there that it became well known in this estate. Initially, the angry mob was searching for gunpowder. There were “hundreds of people attacking the fortress” (DiConsiglio 42). Furthermore, when they arrived to the last bridge, they were facing the leader of the prison, Marquis de Launay. The angry mob wanted Marquis to lower the bridge, yet he confronted them. He threatened that he had twenty thousand pounds of gunpowder and was willing to blow up all Bastille including the citizens within it. At last, he surrendered and the angry mob killed him. They stabbed him numerous times and left his head in public for twenty-four hours. To conclude, Bastille was destroyed and the power of the citizens augmented.
By August, the crowd was getting out of control. As a result, the National Assembly decided to act. In twenty-four hours, they passed several rights to the poor. This included that the church could no longer acquire money from their worshippers. In addition to that, landlords didn’t have any more authority over the peasants who worked on their lands and nobles would pay the same taxes as common people. Moreover, criminals now would be “punished equally, whether they were rich or poor” (DiConsiglio 52). Secondly, there was the creation of the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This meant that the government could not favor the rich over the poor. In other words, they would be responsible for their citizens and that the government would protect everyone’s rights, which included liberty, full citizenship, and equality. In conclusion, everyone was equal whether the person was poor or rich.
By September, the power of the king became questionable. Initially, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children tried to flee from France and into the border of France where Austria troops of Austria were waiting. The emperor of Austria, Leopold II, was the brother of Marie-Antoinette. The royal family was living in the Tuileries Palace, which was old and most importantly they feared for their safety. When they were fleeing, a merchant “recognized Louis from his face on a coin” (DiConsiglio 67). Two days later, they were sent back to the horrible Tuileries Palace where the people watched over the royal family much more carefully. As a result from the actions of Louis XVI, the National Assembly forgave him, yet they decreased the king’s power significantly. For instance, there was a permanent legislature called the Legislative Assembly. It was responsible for creating laws. The king, like the president, would test the laws. He could veto or in other words cancel the laws for five years, yet interference with the legislature’s work was not within the king’s power. In the end, the king wasn’t considered a king anymore, but had the title of the “First Functionary of the State.”
Friday, February 20, 2015
The king angered the people of France excessively. Austria had gone with war against France because they wanted to save the royal family of France. In July, Prussia also decided to join the war creating an extremely hard war for France to fight since they were also going through a revolution. First, the Legislative Assembly had to make a decision. They ordered new fresh soldiers to help protect Paris. The king threatened to veto the order as he was normally in charge of the military operations. As a result, twenty thousand angry people formed near the where the royal family lived. They had to fight the guards from Switzerland and other loyal troops. One hundred protesters were dead, yet they successfully killed the Swiss soldiers and celebrated. For this, the king’s power was “officially taken away” (DiConsiglio 75). In addition to that the royal family was held in prison. All in all, the king was viewed as a traitor and therefore was penalized for his doings.
The punishment of the king did little to improve the daily lives. Primarily, there were still attacks from foreign countries. As the author stated, “Prussian troops invaded France on August nineteen, one thousand seven hundred ninety two and moved toward Paris (DiConsiglio 77). Secondly, there were still inner problems. For instance hunger and poverty were still a great problem throughout the country. To conclude, acts against the king didn’t adjust much to the community.
Sans-culottes wanted several changes during the revolution. The sans-culottes had great power in the revolution. They wanted the wealthier leaders of the revolution to make more fundamental modifications. Primarily, they wanted to modify prices of food. As the author said, “They wanted a limit set on the price of bread and other food” (DiConsiglio 78). Secondly, they wanted the National Convention to write a new constitution. The people would elect the members. In addition, all males would vote. In the end, the Legislative Assembly supported the economic demands, yet conflicted their second proposition.
Danton suggested to create the Revolutionary Tribunal. This happened because Robespierre and the other members of the National Convention were worried that they were losing control of the revolution. Initially, the Revolutionary Tribunal would be similar to a judge. There would be “twelve members that form a kind of court” (DiConsiglio 97). Secondly, they would have the power to punish people. For instance, they could arrest people for treason. The consequences would include death. In conclusion, the members of the National Convention hoped that Danton’s plan would bring peace to France.
Friday, March 6, 2015
By November one thousand seven hundred ninety two, the Convention needed to find a solution for the king. The Convention didn’t know what to do with the king. Initially, he was the reason behind the constant attacks from Prussia and Austria. The members of the Convention argued that if the king stayed alive then “his allies would be tempted to free him” (DiConsiglio 84). Secondly, there were others that stated how he acted during the revolution. The members argued that Louis XVI committed treason since he was against the revolution and in addition to that, he tried to prevent it. Louis only accepted new laws by pressure and told his foreign allies to help annihilate the revolution. All in all, the Convention decided that the king would be executed in the guillotine.
France was beginning to slide towards chaos. Initially, France became an unsafe place. Inside France there were enemies everywhere and it was hard for French troops to stop the royalist revolts because there were still some people who were loyal to the king. Secondly, the execution of Louis XVI angered Great Britain. The prime minister of Great Britain called it, “The foulest deed in the history of the world” (DiConsiglio 96). Therefore, Great Britain declared war on France too. To conclude, France needed to fight off Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, and stop royalist revolts.
People were accused of treason easily. Primarily, the guillotine wasn’t just limited for the nobles and the clergy. For instance, people who were “accused of hoarding food went on trial” (DiConsiglio 105). Furthermore, farmers who declined to give grain to the poor were accused of treason. Secondly, even the political enemies of Robespierre were executed. The Girodins, who thought that Robespierre had too much power, had twenty-one of them with their heads cut off. In conclusion, Robespierre was at the peak of his power, so he basically could name anyone for treason with a simple minor act.
Danton started to get sick of seeing so many people die in the guillotine. Danton was a close friend to Robespierre since they shared similar thoughts on how the revolution should shape France into. First, there weren’t several threats to the revolution. Danton, who proposed the Revolutionary Tribunal, succeeded to bring peace and lowered the threats on the revolution. Secondly, Robespierre continuously executed innocent citizens. Danton stated, “Royalists and conspirators I can understand, but what about those who are innocent” (DiConsiglio 106). In the end, Robespierre became blind of what he was doing to the citizens of France.
In the mid eighteenth century, there were three classes, yet two were wealthy and powerful. Each class was had an estate. Primarily, there was the First Estate was the clergy, which consisted of the French Catholic Church. Worshipers gave the clergy a massive amount of money and in addition to that, priests “charged to pray for the poor” (DiConsiglio 20). Furthermore, the Second Estate was the one of nobles. Nobles were people who were born into an upper-class family. Nobles had positions such as in the church, the government, and the army, which were one of the highest positions. Moreover, since nobles owned an excessive amount of land, they collected taxes from the rents of farmer or commonly known as peasants who worked on their property. All in all, both the clergy and the nobles were the highest classes where they were superior from the Third Estate.
The Third Estate lived in complete unfairness. Initially, members of the Third Estate would easily be arrested for minor offensive acts. For instance, nobles could easily get “secret arrest warrants for nearly anyone who annoyed them” (DiConsiglio 22). If they were accused for a crime the chances for the trail to go out fairly were extremely low. Secondly, being in prison for the Third Estate was one of the most dangerous places. As a matter of fact, in the prison Bastille that is located in Paris, torturing was common. The food was extremely horrible and medical care was bad. It became so common that it was famous for the Third Estate. To conclude, the Third Estate were treated badly with unfair trails even with minor offenses and were treated badly in prisons especially in the prison of Bastille.
At the top of the class system was the king who owned a large palace called Versailles. It was located outside of Paris. First, the palace was practically like a city. Precisely, it was “nearly thirty seven thousand acres of land” (DiConsiglio 23). This was all cleared to become terraces and gardens. Secondly, the house could hold five thousand people and the let a lone the courtyard, which had one thousand four hundred fountains and four hundred sculptures. In conclusion, the king’s castle was extremely large and beautiful showing the dominance of the wealthy during the eighteenth century.
Jaqueline’s death caused trouble for Robespierre’s father. Jaqueline was the wife of Robespierre’s father. Jaqueline had several other children after Maximilien including Charlotte, Henriette, and Augustin. Jaqueline, who was twenty-nine, had another child, which miserably caused her death. Maximilien’s father started “drinking, borrowing money, and stayed out all night” (DiConsiglio 25). Secondly, he stopped practicing law and even disappeared for weeks. In the end, Robespierre father disappeared for good, but it crushed Maximilien who changed and became serious and hardworking.
Friday, February 13, 2015
The people of France started to defy the king. Primarily, the Third Estate endeavored equality and therefore did numerous revolts. Hungry crowds continuously revolted in the streets of Paris. To add, even the royal troops refused to report for duty. The troop’s confidence decreased. Moreover, the crowd kept on attacking cities. They burned guardhouses, raided a monastery to steal grain, and destroyed walls. Secondly, the nobles and clergymen commenced to join the National Assembly to debate matters. After the troops refused to carry their duties, there were forty-eight supplementary “nobles that joined the National Assembly” (DiConsiglio 41). All in all, the French revolution was instigating.
On July fourteen, an angry mob departed to Bastille for weapons. Bastille was a cruel prison where several individuals from the Third Estate were detained. It became tremendously common for people from the Third Estate to be imprisoned there that it became well known in this estate. Initially, the angry mob was searching for gunpowder. There were “hundreds of people attacking the fortress” (DiConsiglio 42). Furthermore, when they arrived to the last bridge, they were facing the leader of the prison, Marquis de Launay. The angry mob wanted Marquis to lower the bridge, yet he confronted them. He threatened that he had twenty thousand pounds of gunpowder and was willing to blow up all Bastille including the citizens within it. At last, he surrendered and the angry mob killed him. They stabbed him numerous times and left his head in public for twenty-four hours. To conclude, Bastille was destroyed and the power of the citizens augmented.
By August, the crowd was getting out of control. As a result, the National Assembly decided to act. In twenty-four hours, they passed several rights to the poor. This included that the church could no longer acquire money from their worshippers. In addition to that, landlords didn’t have any more authority over the peasants who worked on their lands and nobles would pay the same taxes as common people. Moreover, criminals now would be “punished equally, whether they were rich or poor” (DiConsiglio 52). Secondly, there was the creation of the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This meant that the government could not favor the rich over the poor. In other words, they would be responsible for their citizens and that the government would protect everyone’s rights, which included liberty, full citizenship, and equality. In conclusion, everyone was equal whether the person was poor or rich.
By September, the power of the king became questionable. Initially, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children tried to flee from France and into the border of France where Austria troops of Austria were waiting. The emperor of Austria, Leopold II, was the brother of Marie-Antoinette. The royal family was living in the Tuileries Palace, which was old and most importantly they feared for their safety. When they were fleeing, a merchant “recognized Louis from his face on a coin” (DiConsiglio 67). Two days later, they were sent back to the horrible Tuileries Palace where the people watched over the royal family much more carefully. As a result from the actions of Louis XVI, the National Assembly forgave him, yet they decreased the king’s power significantly. For instance, there was a permanent legislature called the Legislative Assembly. It was responsible for creating laws. The king, like the president, would test the laws. He could veto or in other words cancel the laws for five years, yet interference with the legislature’s work was not within the king’s power. In the end, the king wasn’t considered a king anymore, but had the title of the “First Functionary of the State.”
Friday, February 20, 2015
The king angered the people of France excessively. Austria had gone with war against France because they wanted to save the royal family of France. In July, Prussia also decided to join the war creating an extremely hard war for France to fight since they were also going through a revolution. First, the Legislative Assembly had to make a decision. They ordered new fresh soldiers to help protect Paris. The king threatened to veto the order as he was normally in charge of the military operations. As a result, twenty thousand angry people formed near the where the royal family lived. They had to fight the guards from Switzerland and other loyal troops. One hundred protesters were dead, yet they successfully killed the Swiss soldiers and celebrated. For this, the king’s power was “officially taken away” (DiConsiglio 75). In addition to that the royal family was held in prison. All in all, the king was viewed as a traitor and therefore was penalized for his doings.
The punishment of the king did little to improve the daily lives. Primarily, there were still attacks from foreign countries. As the author stated, “Prussian troops invaded France on August nineteen, one thousand seven hundred ninety two and moved toward Paris (DiConsiglio 77). Secondly, there were still inner problems. For instance hunger and poverty were still a great problem throughout the country. To conclude, acts against the king didn’t adjust much to the community.
Sans-culottes wanted several changes during the revolution. The sans-culottes had great power in the revolution. They wanted the wealthier leaders of the revolution to make more fundamental modifications. Primarily, they wanted to modify prices of food. As the author said, “They wanted a limit set on the price of bread and other food” (DiConsiglio 78). Secondly, they wanted the National Convention to write a new constitution. The people would elect the members. In addition, all males would vote. In the end, the Legislative Assembly supported the economic demands, yet conflicted their second proposition.
Danton suggested to create the Revolutionary Tribunal. This happened because Robespierre and the other members of the National Convention were worried that they were losing control of the revolution. Initially, the Revolutionary Tribunal would be similar to a judge. There would be “twelve members that form a kind of court” (DiConsiglio 97). Secondly, they would have the power to punish people. For instance, they could arrest people for treason. The consequences would include death. In conclusion, the members of the National Convention hoped that Danton’s plan would bring peace to France.
Friday, March 6, 2015
By November one thousand seven hundred ninety two, the Convention needed to find a solution for the king. The Convention didn’t know what to do with the king. Initially, he was the reason behind the constant attacks from Prussia and Austria. The members of the Convention argued that if the king stayed alive then “his allies would be tempted to free him” (DiConsiglio 84). Secondly, there were others that stated how he acted during the revolution. The members argued that Louis XVI committed treason since he was against the revolution and in addition to that, he tried to prevent it. Louis only accepted new laws by pressure and told his foreign allies to help annihilate the revolution. All in all, the Convention decided that the king would be executed in the guillotine.
France was beginning to slide towards chaos. Initially, France became an unsafe place. Inside France there were enemies everywhere and it was hard for French troops to stop the royalist revolts because there were still some people who were loyal to the king. Secondly, the execution of Louis XVI angered Great Britain. The prime minister of Great Britain called it, “The foulest deed in the history of the world” (DiConsiglio 96). Therefore, Great Britain declared war on France too. To conclude, France needed to fight off Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, and stop royalist revolts.
People were accused of treason easily. Primarily, the guillotine wasn’t just limited for the nobles and the clergy. For instance, people who were “accused of hoarding food went on trial” (DiConsiglio 105). Furthermore, farmers who declined to give grain to the poor were accused of treason. Secondly, even the political enemies of Robespierre were executed. The Girodins, who thought that Robespierre had too much power, had twenty-one of them with their heads cut off. In conclusion, Robespierre was at the peak of his power, so he basically could name anyone for treason with a simple minor act.
Danton started to get sick of seeing so many people die in the guillotine. Danton was a close friend to Robespierre since they shared similar thoughts on how the revolution should shape France into. First, there weren’t several threats to the revolution. Danton, who proposed the Revolutionary Tribunal, succeeded to bring peace and lowered the threats on the revolution. Secondly, Robespierre continuously executed innocent citizens. Danton stated, “Royalists and conspirators I can understand, but what about those who are innocent” (DiConsiglio 106). In the end, Robespierre became blind of what he was doing to the citizens of France.
June 21, 2024
Maybe I'm taking it the wrong way, but I got the impression in the epilogue, that the author was almost trying to say Robespierre was somewhat of a hero for his take on some issues... That's horrifying. The man was clearly mental and power crazed.
May 18, 2021
This is an excellent introduction for late elementary school students studying the French Revolution. Highly recommend.
June 10, 2024
A quick introduction to the history behind the French revolution and Maximilien Robespierre's part in it. How he started as a country lawyer and over time rose to prominence as a national figure.
March 21, 2017
A Wicked History series provides a quick yet nice overview of the featured leader, in this case Maximilien Robespierre; whose Rein of Terror caused many heads to role. These books are perfect for any middle/high school classroom or library and are guaranteed to make history exciting for students
September 1, 2015
The most interesting part of this book was not about the featured "bad guy," but about the royalty, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. All the history books I'd read previously painted them as horrible, terrible people who were cruel--including the textbooks I read in school. This book was a bit more sympathetic to them, saying instad that they weren't bad, just kinda stupid.
I feel like the rest of the book was somewhat weak, especially concerning Robespierre's turn from "all for the people" to "kill them all if they don't agree." I think the author should have explored that more in-depth, rather than saying at the end that historians don't agree about his reasons.
Other than that, it was an okay book. If I were to use it for a project, I'd definitely give it to a group of gifted kids so they could analyze what he did and come to their own conclusions about his "wickedness."
3/5 on here, 7/10 for myself
I feel like the rest of the book was somewhat weak, especially concerning Robespierre's turn from "all for the people" to "kill them all if they don't agree." I think the author should have explored that more in-depth, rather than saying at the end that historians don't agree about his reasons.
Other than that, it was an okay book. If I were to use it for a project, I'd definitely give it to a group of gifted kids so they could analyze what he did and come to their own conclusions about his "wickedness."
3/5 on here, 7/10 for myself
July 6, 2010
I've never studied the French Revolution in any sort of detail, so most of this information was new to me. This was a short (121 small pages, splattered with pictures) biography of Maximilien Robespierre's short and bloody life. As someone who has always been interested in history, this book was fascinating. I also appreciated the physical design of the book (size: small, font: large, pictures: yes).
For kids studying the American Revolution, this might be an interesting topic to take a look at and compare and contrast. And any middle schooler interested in anything violent or bloody should get something out of this. There's also something here for anyone who has trouble with authority.
Political unrest. Terrorism. Violence.
For kids studying the American Revolution, this might be an interesting topic to take a look at and compare and contrast. And any middle schooler interested in anything violent or bloody should get something out of this. There's also something here for anyone who has trouble with authority.
Political unrest. Terrorism. Violence.
February 16, 2011
I was really excited to augment my spare knowledge of this notorious frenchman, and was rewarded, many-fold, with this little book Part of the "Wicked History" series published by Scholastic, this slim volume both informs and delights. A man may have any number of noble ends in mind, but is still always, always, we can only hope, brought down when he imagines that he is the only one with answers. The horrific reign of ineffectual and unfeeling kings of France gets overthrown in the wake of America's rebellion, but the mob is not satisfied, thank goodness, with the tyrant that replaces them. Robespierre tries too hard to use the common man, once again, to justify his own ends. They end him, eventually. Vive la France!
February 14, 2013
Author: John DiConsiglo
Genre: biography
length: 128 pgs.
Robespierre was born in a small town called Arras. Robespierre got his first job as a lawyer. Then he went to Paris during that time France was in the middle of a revolution. Robespierre stated to help them. After executing the king he gained power. Then later after pushing many people to be executed the French decided that it was Robespierre turn.
I give this book 3 stars Because it is interesting. I never knew what it was like back then. Also I like this wicked history. Threy are very informative. These are the resins I give this book 3 stars.
Genre: biography
length: 128 pgs.
Robespierre was born in a small town called Arras. Robespierre got his first job as a lawyer. Then he went to Paris during that time France was in the middle of a revolution. Robespierre stated to help them. After executing the king he gained power. Then later after pushing many people to be executed the French decided that it was Robespierre turn.
I give this book 3 stars Because it is interesting. I never knew what it was like back then. Also I like this wicked history. Threy are very informative. These are the resins I give this book 3 stars.
December 31, 2012
Wow! This is hands down one of the most fascinating books I have read in quite some time. The book is really about the French Revolution more-so than Robespierre. Man, that period of time was insane. Considering how soon after the American Revolution (with the aid of the French) occurred that the French Revolution occurred, I had no idea how drastically different they were. This history is beyond fascinating and engrossing and just completely insane. A must read!
November 18, 2009
This series will draw in readers with its dark humor and factual information. It makes good use of graphic images and maps to help tell the story. The information is good, and should be enough for middle schoolers. The author presents the facts, allowing the readers to decide if the person was wicked or not. Also helpful is the index, glossary, list of sources and suggestion for further reading.
February 6, 2017
Robespierre is not boss of terrorists, and this author doesn't know what is terrorism is. He had never used violence for people, used for enemies of republic. He was quite good leader but he was also one of victims in the tornado of revolution.
June 14, 2013
the guillotine eventually had to be moved out of the city ... the blood was polluting the citys water supply. sheeeeesh
November 30, 2015
This book was super helpful! I have a test on the French Revolution tomorrow and this book made studying a little bit easier. Very helpful.
January 24, 2017
I love this Wicked History series.
January 8, 2014
Robespierre used to help and stand up for people. He then became a tyrant killer.
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