Evaluate the impact of Robespierre on the French Revolution.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of Robespierre’s impact on events in France during the revolution period. There may be some reference to his membership of the Estates General and how tensions there led to the outbreak of revolution. However, the focus will be on events after July 1789, following which it may be argued that Robespierre’s main impact was to radicalize the revolution. Here, candidates may refer to his demands for the execution of Louis XVI, the encouragement of violence against Girondins, the demands for a republic and his encouragement of the Reign of Terror in Paris and the provinces. A counter argument may be that the response to Robespierre’s extreme and violent methods was a desire for a moderate republic and the Thermidorean Reaction was a direct consequence of Robespierre’s domination of the revolution.