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Café Histoire
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It was Robespierre’s belief that political terror and virtue were of necessity inseparable. Can this point of view be defended today ? Join the Café Histoire on Friday, 25 January at 4.30pm at Alliance Française.

The next meeting of the Alliance Française Café Histoire will take place on Friday, 25 January at 4.30pm at Alliance Française. Patrick, our in-house historian, will discuss "Maximilien Robespierre : l’homme de la Terreur."

Historians disagree on Robespierre’s role in the Terror. Some say that he was a minor player in the Committee of Public Safety. Babeuf and Philippe Buonarroti have tried to absolve him by saying he acted only for reasons of practical expediency. However, Robespierre’s role as a leader and mouthpiece of the Terror is clear[citation needed]. Robespierre is usually regarded as the dominant force on the committee. Louis-Sébastien Mercier coined the term "Sanguinocrat" to describe Robespierre. However, after his death many of his colleagues tried to save themselves by blaming him.

He was one of the most popular orators in the Convention and his carefully prepared speeches often made a deep impression. His panegyrics on revolutionary government and his praise of virtue demonstrate his belief that the Terror was necessary, laudable and inevitable. It was Robespierre’s belief that political terror and virtue were of necessity inseparable. (from http://en.wikipedia.org)

The topic for this month will undoubtedly generate interesting debate, as always.

P.S.

Dates for the following two Cafés Histoire are given in the news section of the site (left-hand side column of the homepage).
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