Robespierre's Leadership Against The Constitution Of 1793
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Throughout history, Maximilien Marie Isidore de Robespierre has been scapegoated for much of the murderous bloodshed of the French Revolution, rightly so. His words and actions supported a policy of unrepentant terror. Under Robespierre’s leadership, the Revolution took a turn away from its previous ideals, preserved in the Constitution of 1793, towards extreme radicalism.
To understand how Robespierre’s leadership acted against the Constitution of 1793, one must first understand what it says, how it was created, and the amount of support it received. The Constitution of 1793 outlines the definition of French citizenship, the rights of those citizens, and the governmental bodies’ duties and responsibilities. A citizen was a man born and living…show more content… The Constitution provides a framework for the duties and responsibilities of the government. The legislative body proposes laws and issues decrees that the rest of the nation is required to follow. These laws and decrees include: “the civil and penal legislation; the general administration of revenues [...]; declaration of war; [...] the permission or refusal of the marching of foreign troops through the French territory; [...] the distribution of annual and momentary relief and of public works; the orders for the stamping of coins of every description; [...] any kind of public works; the defence of the territory; the ratification of treaties; the nomination and removal of the commander-in-chief of the army; the carrying into effect the responsibility of members of the executive council,…show more content… They designed it to be held in high regard by the French people. According to the voting record, it was. By July, “The primary assemblies endorsed it by an official 1,801,918 votes against 11,610. In fact the numbers voting for it were probably nearer to two million--a respectable enough turnout at a time of civil war, and an indication that the propitiatory gesture of national consultation had achieved some success” (Boyle 246). The goal approval date for the Constitution was August 10th, one year after the unofficial end of the French monarchy. The goal was achieved and commemorated with a “promulgation ceremony on 10 August [...] huge procession” (Boyle