Robespierre and the Red Terror. From the Dutch of Dr:
Jan Ten Brink, by J. Hedeman. (Hutchinson and Co. 12s.)—The writer of this notice remembers well how energetically the late Professor Cassel (of University College, London) used to assert that the fall of Robespierre was due to his theism. Dr. Ten Brink. adopts, in a degree, the same idea. The popular belief is that.he was overthrown by the reaction against his cruelties. The view of the situation given here is this. Robespierre, who must not be held solely responsible for executions which he could not have stopped, if he had wished, being but one member -of the Government, felt his position endangered after the Festival to the Supreme Being._ His enemies would certainly treat this as a reactionary proceeding. To protect himself against them he and Couthon propoied and carried the law of June 10th, a law which 'created the :Revolutionary Tribunal. The engine worked with frightful clespat-ch. It came into full activity in the month Messidor (June 19th to July.l8th), during which 1,000 were accused and 796 guillotined. In the first nine days of Thermidor 426 were accused, of whom 342 were guillotined, giving for the whole month a proportionate number of 1,146. On the 9th (July 27th) he perished. There were then 7,800 prisoners in Paris, and in the whole of France 400,000. But though our author does not spare Robespierre for his fatal policy, he lightens the burden of his guilt. The men who overthrew him were not one whit more merciful, though their success tended to abate the Terror. As for Denton and Camille Desmoulins, they have no claim to be preferred to Robespierre, except indeed that the first of them was a genius, whereas he was "a statesman withont, Practical ability, an obstinate fanatic, destitute of genius:" This volume is a distinctly valuable contribution to history.
Previous page
