Best book on Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety is R. R. Palmer's Twelve Who Ruled, The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution (1941). Palmer shows that the Committee saved France and the Revolution from foreign invasion and domestic counter-revolution. That crushing and unexpected success is what gave Robespierre the prestige to press on with increasingly poorly conceived ideas, ending with his death. But if you don't see the stunning success, the crazy excess is inexplicable. Plus, the book is simply a thrilling story of an incredibly dangerous time faced and overcome by bold and ruthless men. Highly recommended.
Simply brilliant, thanks for the article. Ngl the French Revolution sounds like it was a nigthmare of epic proportions. Almost demonic. Incredible how just 50 years later when Napoleon (the third) got in pow3r France enjoyed a golden age that lasted 90 or so years. I want to write more articles exploring the Belle Epoque. The amount of soft power comming out of France in the year 1900 is hollywood levels of crazy.
Best book on Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety is R. R. Palmer's Twelve Who Ruled, The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution (1941). Palmer shows that the Committee saved France and the Revolution from foreign invasion and domestic counter-revolution. That crushing and unexpected success is what gave Robespierre the prestige to press on with increasingly poorly conceived ideas, ending with his death. But if you don't see the stunning success, the crazy excess is inexplicable. Plus, the book is simply a thrilling story of an incredibly dangerous time faced and overcome by bold and ruthless men. Highly recommended.
Simply brilliant, thanks for the article. Ngl the French Revolution sounds like it was a nigthmare of epic proportions. Almost demonic. Incredible how just 50 years later when Napoleon (the third) got in pow3r France enjoyed a golden age that lasted 90 or so years. I want to write more articles exploring the Belle Epoque. The amount of soft power comming out of France in the year 1900 is hollywood levels of crazy.
Great article
Brilliant article mate; I’m not particularly well-versed in that part of history so it made for an interesting read.