Robespierre's role in the Revolution

by atomfullerene

I've seen Robespierre made out to be everything from bloodthirsty tyrant to scapegoated victim. What, exactly, was his position in the Committee of Public Safety and in Revolutionary France in general? How did it change over time? How responsible was he for the Reign of Terror (at least, the parts of it that happened in Paris).

Second_Mate

Rather than have people writing essays, try reading "Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution" by Ruth Scurr, there's a review here http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/may/20/featuresreviews.guardianreview4