Daily Quiz for October 13, 2008

Maximilien Robespierre. One of the principle figures of the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre dominated the Committee of Public Safety during the “Reign of Terror,” but was overthrown and executed in 1794. Robespierre asserted the collective dictatorship of the revolutionary National Convention and attacked factions led by men such as Jacques-René Hébert which he felt threatened the government’s power. Factions opposed to Robespierre gained momentum in the summer of 1794. Declared an outlaw of the National Convention, Robespierre and many of his followers were captured and he–along with 22 of his supporters–were guillotined before cheering crowds on July 28.