What was Robespierre's theory of virtue and terror?
Virtue, that is to say public integrity, is the soul of a democratic government. Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue. It is less a principle in itself than a consequence of the principle of democracy, applied to the most pressing needs of the public weal. When the principle of popular government is attacked, terror becomes necessary. The enemies of the people, those who seek to re-establish tyranny or aristocratic privilege, must be dealt with decisively. My arguments in the 'Report on the Principles of Political Morality' sought to illuminate this essential relationship between the pure pursuit of virtue and the indispensable application of justice against those who would subvert the republic.
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