In the midst of the Reign of Terror, we appointed ourselves as interviewers to Robespierre himself. Being relatives of a member of committee of public safety, we have a mission to see through the eyes of one of the biggest figures of this revolution as I was seeing that different people agree to different things in France. As we walked to Robespierre we saw the guillotine, dirty with blood and gore of the French people. We decided to ask him what he sees in the guillotine, what to him is the symbol and meaning of the guillotine.
We approached him and he looked at us with his bloodshot eyes, face strained from all the execution, tense veins scorching through his skin. His hair was chalk white, a wig maybe and he was dressed in late 1700s attire while deciding people’s fates.
“Excuse me Sir Robespierre.”
Robespierre: “Yes?”
“We would like to interview you as we appointed yesterday”
Robespierre: “Ah, yes.”
“We were wondering what does the guillotine mean to you? What does it symbolize?”
Robespierre: “Ah.. the guillotine, one of the glories of machinery for mankind. I view it as justice, a sign of action and our nation’s responsibility towards the barbarity of our country’s traitors within. My good friend, doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin and his fellow German engineer Tobias Schmidt created it and it has been working well ever since and I am expecting glorious things in the future”
“But many would say it is a symbol of terror. How do you respond to that?”
Robespierre: “I could say that some would say that, the Sans-culottes... the rebels of France.. But even though they might view it as terror, it is a necessity to bring justice for the French people at any cost. Fear is needed to show rebels of our nation that we do not play around with our nation”
“Why do you view terror as justice?”
Robespierre: “To punish the oppresors of humanity is clemency, to forgive them is barbarity. Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible. Nothing more, nothing less. If we do not exert terror intensely then softness to traitors will destroy us all.”
“What is the purpose of this mass execution?”
Robespierre: “This mass execution, the act of justice is solely purposed for France’s own national security. It is also to crush internal rebellion, as well as suspected enemies of the Revolution. The terror that is also created by these executions are also to fight the enemies of the revolution, to prevent counter-revolution from gaining ground.”
“We heard that King Louis XVI was executed, why do you decide to do it?”
Robespierre: “Well it’s obvious. He hardly gave any interest to his kingdom and he couldn’t even handle the problems in the society. He is a royal inviolability and he seemingly performed crimes such as a threat towards national peace. He is mentally dull and weak. That Marie Antoinette influenced him too much to oppose the revolution. He has weighed down France too much for it to be called a great nation.”
“For you sir, what do you consider the Sans-culottes and the Jacobins to be?”
Robespierre: “Sans-culottes... men without fancy breeches definitely the common people of Paris, the lower lane of the nation. The working people. I have no concern in them... Though the Jacobins, the elites, my fellow men is the debating socitites with great political minds fighting for France.”
“And what do you think is your role in this revolution?”
Robespierre: “I am a spirited activist for France’s libertarians. I am also the leader of the Committee of Public Safety, the executive committee of the National Convention and currently known as the most powerful man in France. I speak only for France and the sake of all its people that is within this nation of France.”
“Well, thank you for your precious time Sir Robespierre, we thank you and hope for your decisions for the future of our nation”
Robespierre: “Pleasure is all mine.”