AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Virtue As The Republic's Foundation
- Robespierre argued that virtue must be the mainspring of popular government and the foundation for a republic.
- He claimed a moral regeneration of the people would produce liberty and equality from the heart rather than mere laws.
Terror Presented As Virtue's Tool
- Robespierre framed terror as an extension of virtue during revolutionary emergency.
- He described terror as "prompt, severe, inflexible justice" necessary to defend the republic.
Factions Framed As Corrupting Enemies
- Robespierre's ideology cast political factions as corrupting enemies preventing the people's natural virtue.
- He treated factional opponents as alien enemies outside civic protection, justifying purge and execution.