An intimate new portrait of one of history's most controversial
figures: heroic revolutionary or the first terrorist? For some
historians and biographers, Maximilien Robespierre (1758–94) was
a great revolutionary martyr who succeeded in leading the French
Republic to safety in the face of overwhelming military odds. For
many others, he was the first modern dictator, a fanatic who
instigated the murderous Reign of Terror in 1793–94. This
masterful biography combines new research into Robespierre's
dramatic life with a deep understanding of society and the politics
of the French Revolution to arrive at a fresh understanding of the
man, his passions, and his tragic shortcomings. Peter McPhee gives
special attention to Robespierre's formative years and the
development of an iron will in a frail boy conceived outside
wedlock and on the margins of polite provincial society. Exploring
how these experiences formed the young lawyer who arrived in
Versailles in 1789, the author discovers not the cold, obsessive
Robespierre of legend, but a man of passion with close but platonic
friendships with women. Soon immersed in revolutionary conflict, he
suffered increasingly lengthy periods of nervous collapse
correlating with moments of political crisis, yet Robespierre was
tragically unable to step away from the crushing burdens of
leadership. Did his ruthless, uncompromising exercise of power
reflect a descent into madness in his final year of life? McPhee
reevaluates the ideology and reality of "the Terror," what
Robespierre intended, and whether it represented an abandonment or
a reversal of his early liberalism and sense of justice.
General
| Imprint: |
Yale University Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
October 2013 |
| First published: |
November 2013 |
| Authors: |
Peter McPhee
|
| Dimensions: |
196 x 130 x 27mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
| Pages: |
299 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-300-19724-2 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
0-300-19724-1 |
| Barcode: |
9780300197242 |
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