Nasty subject, but...

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

I don't think any of the history books I've read have ever really gone into this, but - presumably, as originally intended, the Thermidor plot was to have Robespierre and co. arrested, imprisoned, and then, presumably, put on trial before the Tribunal. Could they have seriously been confident in a conviction? Some accounts of the day suggest that the Robespierristes were reluctant to be 'freed' because it appears they reckoned a trial was a better option for them, Marat style. It would also have given Robespierre's supporters more time to organise. So, what were the plotters thinking? Just 'it's now or never and we'll work the next bit out when we come to it'? Any thoughts on this?

Another bit of unpleasantness on the same subject - I recently came across an account that suggests there wasn't any lead in the wound in Robespierre's jaw, i.e., that it was a shot from a pistol charged with gunpowder but no lead bullet: that would still cause a fair bit of damage, specially if fired into your mouth, which is the suicide method, but wouldn't smash your skull...sorry, I've had toothache all week so that's the sort of thing I've been wondering about!

Comments

[wolfshadow713.livejournal.com]

It depends on how we define the moderate phase. In the early days of the National Assembly, the leaders of what would later become the Girondin/Brissotin and Montagnard/Jacobin factions shared a lot of the same ideas of radical social reform--even total moderates like Lafayette did--and what drew a number of politicians away from liberalism (including the Montagnards, when you consider their later support of sensorship, etc) was, aside from fear of invading armies which nothing could have helped, fear of the power of the mob.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

But there's also the influence of the right - the influence of pressure and bribery from the aristocracy/court undermining many (willingly or just going with the flow). The third estate are new to politics, and as they're finding their feet (forgive tortured metaphor here!) they keep having the rug pulled from under them by discovering betrayal after betrayal (Mirabeau etc.). Trust and confidence in your presumed colleagues vanish very quickly in that atmosphere.