The attribute of popular government in a revolution is at one and the same time virtue and terror. Virtue without terror is fatal; terror without virtue is impotent....terror is nothing but justice; prompt, severe, inflexible. It is the emanation of virtue.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A true revolutionary government needs both virtue and terror to function.
- In plain terms
- You need goodness and fear to rule during a revolution.
- What can you take from it?
- Virtue and terror must go hand in hand.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can terror be virtuous?
- When is force necessary?
Another view
Terror often overshadows virtue completely.
More from Maximilien Robespierre
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