How could I use a Wartime tribunal to maintain my hold on Power during the French revolution?

[Erebus]

History will forever regard me as the "incorruptible". There has never been another whose honor was more unquestionable, morality irreproachable, and sense of justice unquestionable. It was n as tubal that destiny would choose me to help overthrow the tyrant king Louis and bring democracy to France. My cohorts and i ended the divine right of kings and established the committee of public safety, a measure aimed at protecting the newly established republic against foreign attacks and internal rebellion. We were to establish a new age where our nation would be governed by the will of the people.

But it was not to be. France continued to be plagued with numerous problems that put a halt to our revolution. Members of the royal family and their cohorts aimed to regain their power, an increasingly corrupt and decadent church more concerned with maintain their lands than the good of the nation, counter revolutionaries made up of citizens who were unable or unwilling to embrace my vision. These issues sadly forced me to enact many harsh policies as the head of the committee in order to protect the revolution and it's ideals.

The greatest snub came from the treachery of my own allies. Men that I thought were with me, who i fought with, ate with, who proved to be too weak to follow through with our cause. Now that I am dead, I have had time to reflect on my decisions. France would have been a bastion of enlightenment and prosperity had it not been for my betrayal. How could I have directed the committee to maintain my grip on power?

 

[CupofJoe]

Well, if the harsh approach didn't work, then there are two alternatives that I see.
The first is to become even more harsh and repressive. Crush everything and everyone that opposes your rule in any way and at any level. Ramp up the secret police and secret tribunals. Burn the opposition out...
Or try a less repressive and more inclusive approach. Find out what people are objecting to and why they are resisting and find a way to address those issues.
There will be other approaches but those are my two. For now.

 

[skip.knox]

Erm, who are you? Marat? Robespierre? Danton?

I'm not sure I can identify anyone as having a "grip on power" in the turbulent years of the 90s. What power, specifically? Taxes? The army? Legislature? The judges? Do you mean to include more than just Paris?

 

[Drakevarg]

Erm, who are you? Marat? Robespierre? Danton?

Given this exact question was posted in the GiantITP forums not-quite-word-for-word, I believe it's supposed to be Robespierre. That's who was named in that version.

 

[skip.knox]

I'll wait for the OP to elaborate, but I agree it's likely ol' Robby Peter is meant.

 

[Erebus]

I'll wait for the OP to elaborate, but I agree it's likely ol' Robby Peter is meant.

I am robespierre speaking from the grave.

 

[skip.knox]

OK; thanks for the confirmation. You don't need to speak from beyond the grave. You can stand next to it, if you want. <g>

First, you never had the power you thought you did. Had you gone out from Paris into the provinces, you'd have seen the extent to which the countryside still looked to the nobility for leadership. Enlightening the mass of humanity is a gargantuan task and one for which the mass of humanity will rarely thank you.

But let us keep the conversation to Paris. We'll even set aside the active interference from other nations. Why do you suppose your allies turned on you? Was it nothing more than personal jealousy? Or did the Paris mob turn on you as well, and your allies merely saw which way the wind blew? Or was it that you got rid of Hebert and his crowd, and then you got rid of Danton and his boys, and wound up with everyone fearing they were next?

One other question: how does this relate to fantasy?