ABSTRACT
Maximilien Robespierre, a committed and egalitarian democrat, led the most radical phase of the French Revolution, known as the Reign of Terror, which was a forerunner of twentieth-century war economies and totalitarian governments. Robespierre joined the most radical group of the Revolution, the Jacobin Club, and quickly rose to prominence. His championing of the poor and working classes and his clean reputation gained him the admiration of the Parisian artisans, who nicknamed him “the Incorruptible.” Robespierre was elected to the National Convention; when the convention put Louis XVI on trial for treason, Robespierre voted to execute the king, which occurred in January 1793. Robespierre played an important role in the establishment of what has become known as the “Revolutionary Tradition,” which kept open the questions and issues raised by the French Revolution and influenced future democratic republicans and socialists in Europe and its colonies.
