Rights and Violence: What is Robespierre's Relationship with the Idea of Human Rights?

Abstract

The Reign of Terror, witnessing unprecedented bloodshed, remained an enduring mystery under the theme French Revolution and widely acknowledged as a severe violation of human rights. As a leading figure, Robespierre remained a tyrannical and villain image with many puzzles unsolved. This paper would focus primarily on A Proposed Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789 by Robespierre, and draw a comparison with the official well-known version of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen announced on August 26, 1789. The similarities and differences would be examined closely to see how Robespierre interpret the idea of human rights specifically. This paper would draw a conclusion that although Robespierre seems like a total denier of human rights, was in fact trying to defend his own understanding of human rights but in an extreme and thus inhumane way, ringing us a bell that the actual application of the human rights should always remain a scrutinized procedure rather than mere slogans.