What was Robespierre's goal during the Reign of Terror?

to bring political reform to France

After the fall of the monarchy, France faced more food riots, large popular insurrections and accusations of treasonous acts by those previously considered patriots. A stable government was needed to quell the chaos. On 6 April, the nine-member Committee of Public Safety replaced the larger Committee of General Defense. On 27 July 1793, the Convention elected Robespierre to the Committee, although he had not sought the position. The Committee of General Security began to manage the country's internal police.Though nominally all members of the committee were equal, Robespierre has often been regarded as the dominant force and, as such, the de facto dictator of the country.

As an orator, he praised revolutionary government and argued that the Terror was necessary, laudable and inevitable. It was Robespierre's belief that the Republic and virtue were of necessity inseparable. He reasoned that the Republic could only be saved by the virtue of its citizens, and that the Terror was virtuous because it attempted to maintain the Revolution and the Republic. For example, in his Report on the Principles of Political Morality, given on 5 February, 1794, Robespierre stated:

If virtue be the spring of a popular government in times of peace, the spring of that government during a revolution is virtue combined with terror: virtue, without which terror is destructive; terror, without which virtue is impotent. Terror is only justice prompt, severe and inflexible; it is then an emanation of virtue; it is less a distinct principle than a natural consequence of the general principle of democracy, applied to the most pressing wants of the country. ... The government in a revolution is the despotism of liberty against tyranny.

Robespierre believed that the Terror was a time of discovering and revealing the enemy within Paris, within France, the enemy that hid in the safety of apparent patriotism. Because he believed that the Revolution was still in progress, and in danger of being sabotaged, he made every attempt to instill in the populace and Convention the urgency of carrying out the Terror. In his Report and others, he brought tales and fears of traitors, monarchists, and saboteurs throughout the Republic and also the Convention itself.

Robespierre expanded the traditional list of the Revolution's enemies to include moderates and "false revolutionaries". In Robespierre's understanding, these were not only ignorant of the dangers facing the Republic, but also in many cases disguised themselves as active contributors to the Revolution, who simply repeated the work of others, or even impeded the progress of the patriots. Anyone not in step with the decrees of Robespierre's committee is said to have been eventually purged from the Convention, and thoroughly hunted in the general population. While it is debated whether Robespierre targeted moderates to accelerate his own agenda, or out of legitimate concern for France, it is known that his policy led to the execution of many of the Revolution's original and staunchest advocates.

Robespierre Reign Of Terror

Robespierre was a radical, meaning he wanted change from what was currently going on in France. This all occurred during the French Revolution, obviously. Robespierre wanted a change in government, and since the government was so closely linked to the Catholic Church, he began the process of "de-Christianization." Over 10,000 people were killed by use of the guillotine, an execution device that had been invented during the time period. He wanted to prosecute the king and centralize the government, and push revolutionary reforms such as universal adult male suffrage. Anyone who stood in his way was killed. It became the Reign of Terror because Robespierre was a supporter of revolutionary blood-thirst. He killed anyone who resisted him, whether they had been falsely accused or not.

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Robespierre did not created the Reign of Terror, nor instrumented a Revolutionary Tribunal or Committees of Public Safety and General Security. These instrument of the revolutionary violence was created by moderates like Danton who was a minster of Justice at that time. The Reign of Terror was implemented as temporary and extreme measure against internal enemies and getting republican forces unified against external invasion. Robespierre utilized the terror for his own goals and gains, and expanded its tool toward broader, brutal campaign. French Revolution was born in violence and its violence increased through the constitutional monarchy and later was inherited by I. Republic. July or September massacres of 1792 showed the power of the mob, and each revolutionary hoped to utilize its power against the enemies or purse its political goal. The mob also became aware of its own power, and was determined to rule the country, especially in Paris. The power of the Parisian commune was not broken until Directory. The constitutional proposal written by Girondist wanted to limit the power of the Parisian mob and for that reason, the Constitution never went to effect. There was a huge difference between the center of the government and the provinces in the countryside. People in the villages went after 1789 through its day to day life, and for them the events in Paris made a little sense. People in Paris wanted centralization of power to consolidate the revolution. At this point, it was clear that the France was heading to civil war about the future order of the state. The civil war indeed flared in the countryside from Vendee to Lyon. The Terror wanted to stop the civil war at cost of destroying the rebellious countryside. Robespierre seen this terror as a way to gain power and eliminate the opponents. Danton and Robespierre clashed on the terror and its usage, and at that point, the chief father of the terror, Danton, was overtaken by Maximilien and executed. The Paris mob cheered his execution, but they did not know, that Robespierre was planning to bring Terror into its worst phase. Robespierre believed that using a Terror will create his utopian Republic of Virtue. He used the terror as way to rule, because he did not know, how to rule. He was never a man of action. His enemies used the Great Terror (April 1794-July 1794), to discredit him. Robespierre was upset that the blade of a guillotine was not striking his enemies as he was hoping, but he was giving time that they will eventually parish. Tallien, Fouche, and other sent many innocent victims to guillotine and blame it on Robespierre. Many of the victims were also very close associate of Robespierre, and it eventually weakened his grip over the government. Robespierre's power after May of 1794 was rather illusionary, and because he was not able to oppose his enemies within Committee and Convention, he withdrew from it. This was his downfall, as his enemies plotted his overthrow, and also many wanted to end the Terror all together, because they did not want to become another victim of the national razor. Napoleon said that Robespierre was just a scapegoat for everything that was wrong with Revolution. He was certainly a monster, but people who came after him, were as bad as him. Violence in France continued another 20 years after execution of Robespierre, and became deeply imbedded in the national consciousness of the 18th and the early 19th century. Once the violence was out, it was very hard to contain it. Also, France was surrounded by hostile countries who wanted the Revolution to fail. This was also reason, why society under attack reacted this way as did France between 1789-1815.

I believe he wanted to eliminate all members of the clergy.

**** you muda asshole