6. Maximilien Robespierre and the French Revolution

European Civilization, 1648-1945 (HIST 202)

Robespierre's ascetic personal life and severe philosophy of political engagement are attributed by some to his difficult childhood. As a revolutionary, one of his most significant insights was that the Revolution was threatened not only by France's military adversaries abroad, but also by domestic counter-revolutionaries. Under this latter heading were gathered two major groups, urban mercantilists and rural peasants. Relative strength of religious commitment is the major factor in explaining why some regions of France rose up in defense of the monarchy while others supported the Revolution.

00:00 - Chapter 1. The Trial of King Louis XVI and the Death of Marat: A Rock Opera
08:41 - Chapter 2. The Life of Maximilien Robespierre
18:30 - Chapter 3. The Jacobins and the Girondins
26:56 - Chapter 4. Counter-Revolutionary Forces: The Federalist Revolt and the Western Peasants
35:01 - Chapter 5. Revolutionary Fervor in Dechristianized Regions
40:32 - Chapter 6. The Terror: Robespierre's Attempt to Save the Revolution

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2008.