#cici_y

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Happy Bastille Day, friends…

Behold, the world’s worst cake:

Well, the most important bit is that I tried… right?

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I’m back from my trip to Paris.

I’d add the pictures I took of the rest of the portraits at the Carnavalet and one I took of the Danton statue at Odéon, but I hit the image limit.

You’ll have to forgive me for the mediocre photography, I’m no natural…

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Ah…

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My Robespierre & Saint-Just mii’s got together and they just can’t get enough of each other, I guess

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I got a new bag and got to decorating.

Decorating as in sticking on a rosette and calling it a day…

I did make this fun keychain, though.

I just took an old one that i had lying around, popped out the glass, cleaned it up, replaced the picture with the new one and popped it back in. I’m pretty content with how it came out.

I also made a tricolor cockade but couldn’t find a place to stick it. Any ideas?… T_T

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20.5.1834 — 192 years

Today marks 192 years since Marquis de Lafayette passed away from Pneumonia in Paris, and is buried under American soil from Bunker hill in a French cemetery by the name of Picpus.

I’m planning on seeing his grave when I eventually go to France, rest in peace

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Right behind you, Robespierre…

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Historians & Frev Tumblr, please help.

Hi, frev-blr (?). I need help. Obviously.

I am interested in the French revolution, if you can’t tell. My issue is that in my country, due to my age, I can’t get a job, so I’m unemployed (this is relevant, trust me).

Well, that’s not really my main issue, but it’s the reason for my true, massive issue: with me having no money of my own and no allowance or otherwise any way to obtain money, I have to rely on the internet and my parents to get any education on the French revolution, as we last (and very briefly) covered the subject in 5th grade.

Thankfully, my dad supports my interest, and is saving for me to get some books (The Twelve who Ruled & Liberty or Death. Are these good books to get? Please do tell). I’m placing the order on them on the 15th.

I find it easiest for me to retain information by writing short texts on the subject and/or teaching others about it, but since I myself am still thoroughly uneducated as I only have information from documentaries, films, articles etc, I don’t know if my texts include any misinformation in them.

This is what I need help with. I want to present this text to my class as my writing assignment, but I want to make sure there is no misinformation or otherwise any mistakes included in it. If anybody has any free time, I’d appreciate the critique.

“Common misconceptions about Robespierre & the Cult of the Supreme Being

In this rant-text-thing my goal is to go through what the Cult of the Supreme Being was, why it was created, and attempt to deny the claim of Robespierre proclaiming himself a god or otherwise being a tyrannical dictator.

[insert freestyled explanation on why this presentation is even needed in the first place]

1. Brief description of the Cult

The cult of supreme being was established during the French Revolution with the intention of being the new state religion after the collapse of the Catholic church. It was a type of deism.

The primary beliefs were the belief in a god and the human souls immortality. Note how I specified *a* god! - Basically, it was created to motivate the public to be virtuous. Virtue would be awarded in the afterlife (ones immortal soul), and corruption punished.

-Deism is defined by Philosophynow as "the belief in the existence of a creator God who does not intervene in the universe, and in particular, in the lives of people.

2. Robespierres Motives [in creating it]

During the French revolution, one of the most prominent events was the rejection of the Catholic church, and overall religion. After this event, a new philosophy dubbed "The Cult of Reason" rose in popularity, and with advocates like Hébert and Momoro, the rise of this new school of thought didn't look like it was going to slow down any time soon.

Maximilien Robespierre's thoughts on this went as so: he was not a fan of Catholicism, as he saw it as oppressive and supportive of the monarchy, but not a fan of atheism either, sharing Voltaire’s mindset of "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him" -Voltaire, obviously.

In late 1793, Robespierre denounced the Cult of Reason's "scandalous and wild masquerades", and started developing ideas for a new, original Revolutionary, deistic practise that would bridge the gap between the still Catholic French citizens, and the atheist non-believers. And, obviously, to attempt to replace the Cult of Reason.

The first national celebration of the Supreme Being would be held the following year (1794) on the 8th of July (20 Prairial, Year II, on the Revolutionary calendar). Robespierre lead and planned the event, not because he wished to be praised as a god, or as a show of his "tyranny", or whatever else propaganda states, but because he was, at the time, the president of the National Convention! The same convention that authorised his religion way before he took office.

-The president of the National Convention usually acted as a sort of "leader" and was in charge of festivals and ceremonies during their short term (around 15 days, unless terminated early).

3. Propaganda

After Robespierre's execution, the group of people (later dubbed the Thermidorians) reshaped and outright defamed major elements of his character to make him out to be the sole ruler of the Terror. In reality, he went through democratic procedures (primarily in the form of voting on passing his laws, mainly in the Committee of Public Safety/CPS) when presenting his ideas, which lead to many disagreements and sometimes no compromise. By definition, not a dictator...

Of course, Robespierre was no saint—but it's important to recognise that he wasn't alone in making the decisions during the Terror. In truth, during the last few months of his life, he hardly (or didn't at all) attended the committee's meetings due to health complications.

This widespread propaganda is considered truth for a lot of people, and the idea of Robespierre being so self-centered and dictatorial as to start a cult around himself is a common misconception! I've seen many videos & short texts about the Terror where Robespierre is made out to be like this, and most content creators believe it to be 100% true!

-a dic•ta•tor I'dik,tādar

[is] a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force.

4. Conclusion

No, Robespierre was not parading himself around like a god. No, he was not the sole executor of the Terror, and *for crying out loud* draw your conclusions from multiple sources, people.

Grab thoughts from both sides. Find your own voice instead of listening to the loudest ones - they could be outdated and still somehow regarded as fact...

If you're interested in history (especially something that's conflicted historians as much as the French Revolution), spend your time researching it! You won't be running out of it any time soon.

-And stop glazing Oversimplified! Good background noise, but, yes, it's oversimplified.”

I am kind of embarrassed sharing this, because English isn’t my first language, and also because I am aware there’s definitely tons of mistakes in here. But how else will I learn? That’s mainly why I’m here on Tumblr, anyway. Thank you for reading…