Question about Robespierre and The Terror

[fromrequired.livejournal.com]

 I don't have much knowledge about the French Revolution (as you can tell by looking at my userpic, I'm more of a WWII fangirl) but I'm greatly interested in it. 

So in my AP Euro History class, we had to watch this documentary about the French Revolution. I'll post a part of it below:

I'm sort of lost because I thought Robespierre originally was for the rights of the poor and the ordinary people? It doesn't seem plausible to me that he can just turn into a sanguinary dictator overnight. Even in my textbook it says that Robespierre killed everyone whom he deemed unfit for his "Republic of Virtue," but history is never that simple. I know, I study WWII ;)

Anyways, can y'all people enlighten me about the cause of The Terror and Robespierre's role in it? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.


EDIT: Here's the part that succeeds it. It basically describes the fall of Robespierre and says he inspired later dictatorships and revolutions. 

Comments

[gwynplainee.livejournal.com]

Well, the only thing that I can say is that you should not trust everything that is said on Robespierre. He was not an evil man, and he never was a sanguinary dictator. If you read his last speech, you will see that he was very sick for the way the Terror was taking and for the calumnies against him. That speech was not a list of traitors that we wanted to be killed, but his own defense. ("Ils m'appellent tyran. Si je l'étais, ils ramperaient à mes pieds, je les gorgerais d'or, je leur assurerais le droit de commettre tous les crimes, et ils seraient reconnaissants. Si je l'étais, les rois que nous avons vaincus, loin de me dénoncer (quel tendre intérêt ils prennent à notre liberté ! ) me prêteraient leur coupable appui ; je transigerais avec eux".) Also, after his dead, the Terror didn't ended, but changed its ideals.
Is truth that History is never that simple. And the French Revolution was very complex. Robespierre was a very complex character too.
I hope this can help you, but the only way to meet Robespierre is reading what he wrote.
(And sorry for my english. I like WWII period too! but sometime I find it a bit depressing.)