The Making of a Terrorist: Alexandre Rousselin and the French Revolution

0
0

Much has been written about the French Revolution and especially its bloody phase known as the Reign of Terror. The actions of the leaders who unleashed the massacres and public executions, especially Maximilien Robespierre and Georges Danton, are well known. They inspired many soldiers in the Revolutionary cause, who did not survive, let alone thrive, in the post-Revolutionary world. In this work of historical reconstruction, Jeff Horn recounts the life of Alexandre Rousselin and narrates the history of the age of the French Revolution from the perspective of an eyewitness. From a young age, Rousselin worked for and with some of the era's most important men and women, giving him access to the corridors of power. Dedication to the ideals of the Revolution led him to accept the need for a system of Terror to save the Republic in 1793-94. Rousselin personally utilized violent methods to accomplish the state's goals in Provins and Troyes. This terrorism marked his life. It led to his denunciation by its victims. He spent the next five decades trying to escape the consequences of his actions. His emotional responses as well as the practical measures he took to rehabilitate his reputation illuminate the hopes and fears of the revolutionaries. Across the first four decades of the nineteenth century, Rousselin acquired a noble title, the comte de Saint-Albin, and emerged as a wealthy press baron of the liberal newspaper Le Constitutionnel. But he could not escape his past. He retired to write his own version of his legacy and to protect his family from the consequences of his actions as a terrorist during the French Revolution. Rousselin's life traces the complex twists and turns of the Revolution and demonstrates how one man was able to remake himself, from a revolutionary to a liberal, to accommodate regime change.

Page Count:
255

|

Publication Date:
2020-01-01

History & Theory

History

Social sciences

Political Science

English & College Success

European History

Modern History

English

Biography & Autobiography

Community Tags

Similar Books

Dawrān-i Nāṣirī
Defensible Space; Crime Prevention Through Urban Design.
How to Lie about Your Age
Napoleon
Angel Dusted: A Family's Nightmare
Albert Speer: The End of a Myth (English and German Edition)
Of Blood and Hope (English and French Edition)
Little people in America: The social dimension of dwarfism
Ancient Lives: Daily Life in Egypt of the Pharaohs
Watts and Woodstock: Identity and Culture in the United States and South Africa (CBS Computer Books)
The Peacock Throne; the drama of Mogul India
Handbook of Social Science Methods (v. 3)
Politics and change in Spain
The Egalitarian city: Issues of rights, distribution, access, and power
Growing Up With Children: An Introduction to Working With Young Children