History

Important Personalities :
1. Maximilian Robespierre : Leader of the Jacobin club whose policies led to the Reign of Terror. In 1794, he was convicted and sent to the guillotine.
2. Napoleon Bonaparte : The military dictator of France who conquered many European countries. He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.
3. Olympe de Gouges : One of the most important politically active women revolutionary France. In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen. Critical of the Jacobin government, she was charged with treason and executed.
4. Louis XVI : The King of France when the revolution occurred was a man of average intelligence who disliked any kind of brain work. He staunchly believed in the Divine Right of Kings and was completely unaware of the new ideas that were sweeping across his country and oblivious to the needs and fears of his subjects. He was obsessed with his beautiful wife and wasted money on festivities. He drove France into useless wars bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy.
5. Montesquieu : A French thinker and author of the book ‘Spirit of Laws’. He believed that executive, legislative and judicial powers should not be concentrated in one person as it led to tyrannical rule. He stressed on the principle of separation of powers and individual liberty.
6. Jean Jacques Rousseau : His writings played a significant role in bringing about the French Revolution and encouraged people to fight for their rights. He believed that government should be based on the consent of the governed. His most famous work ‘The Social Contract’ talks of a contract between the ruler and ruled where by the former would guarantee the freedom and happiness of his subjects. Implied in his writings was the belief that men had a right to change their government if they were not satisfied.
7. Voltaire : A famous and influential French writer, he stressed religious toleration and freedom of speech. He is credited with the famous statement on free speech ‘I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it’. He savagely attacked all things he considered sham or superstition and was a vehement critic of the Catholic Church.