-Caveat Lector- From http://www.swil.ocdsb.edu.on.ca/ModWest/French+Rev./marat.html }}}>Begin Jean-Paul Marat
(1743-1793) Birth: May 24 th, 1743 in Boudry/Neufchatel. Occupation: A writer. Jean-Paul Marat was born into a well-bred, middle class family. Two years after his graduation from College in Neufchatel, he continued his studies in Geneva and Toulouse. He went to Paris in 1760 where he tried, unsuccessfully however, to become a member of the encyclopedists. In 1771, Marat wrote his first book, "Les Aventures du jeune Compte Potowski-un Roman de Coeur." Three years later, he published his major work, "Chains of slavery." On June 30 1775, Marat received his doctor of medicine degree at the St. Andrews University. His dissertation on the irregular curvature of the cornea was established as pioneering until the end of the 19 th century. He is reputed to be the first to use electro-therapy to tre at eye- diseases. For a time Marat worked successfully as a doctor in Soho. In 1777 Marat retuned to Paris in the employ of the Compte d 'Artois, the youngest brother of Louis XVI, while maintaining his own practice. His extraordinary success earned him the title "Medecin des incurables." In 1780 he framed a very liberal legal provision, called "Plan de legislation criminelle." Apart from that, he devoted himself to natural science, disputing Newton's theories and postulating his own. Marat also worked on electro -physics, gave lectures in his apartment, invented an electrometer, and determined the conductivity of some materials, which gained him an international reputation. Early in 1784, Marat lost his position as d'Artois' doctor for inexplicable reasons. From this point on, poverty and misery ruled his life. To avoid starvation, Marat was forced to sell his belongings. He became very ill, and only through government aid did he survive. He took a hold of his life once again, and in February 1789, he published "Offrand a la Patrie," followed two months later by "Supplement de L'Offrande a la Patrie." This p ublication was seized by the authorities, which caused great enmity between them and Marat. It was also the reason for his first political position-he was elected for the election meeting of his district, which he took ve ry seriously. Marat himself maintained that he took part in the rush for the Bastille, although this can neither be confirmed nor denied, as historians have never found out what he did on July 14 th, 1789. Marat resigned his post due to the election meetings' refusal to support him in his wish to publish a newspaper. The first issue of the "Publiste parisien" (later renamed "L'amie du Peuple") appeared on September 12 th th at year. It was also at this time that Marat came into contact with the radical Cordeliers. The newspaper ran for the next four years, sometimes even twice a day. The paper was one of the best informed and most popular of its time. The paper was the voice of public opinion concerning the Revolution. He informed, clarified and attacked the leaders of the Revolution. By public urging he detected the royal conspiracy and defeated the escape of the Royal Family. He also caused the march of the market women to Versailles. By October Marat had to flee from the police and went underground for a short time. The fact that once nearly 6000 men were mobilised to sei ze him gave Marat sufficient reason to leave Paris. Marat soon spurned his affiliation to the Cordeliers club and joined the Jacobins, and in April of 1793, he became president. This was a short term, however, as on July 13 th Marat was stabbed to death in his bath by a Gi ronde supporter, Charlotte Corday. Soon after his death, Marat's popularity quickly dwindled and instead he came to be known as a monster of the revolution. Marat's single greatest triumph in his life was the changing of the Revolution from moderately led to radically led, which is mainly due to the storming of the Tuileries palace and arrest of the Royal Family. It is clear that Marat was an extremely active man in France, both before and during the Revolution. His greatest contribution to the Revolution was to the idea of meritocracy, by way of giving the people a voice in the d oings of the nation. His newspaper "L'ami du Peuple" gave the common people a means of criticising the government, and promoting change -which was its original intention. Unlike other radicals who, despite advocating equa l opportunity, still wished for a strong authoritarian rule, Marat genuinely wished to dispense power equally among all classes in society. The longest lasting legacy that Marat gave to the Revolution and to the Western World is his contribution to nationalism. Marat concerned himself completely with the welfare of the country, which sometimes excluded the in dividual. To this end, Marat gave up medicine, science, luxury, and even his health. He was fanatic in his opposition to Louis XVIand the monarchy; he was instrumental in the raid of the palace at Tuileries and subsequent arrest of the Royal Family, and he was involved in the decision to execute Louis. Links for more information: http://unet.univie.ac.at/~a9200097/jpm.html http://unet.univie.ac.at/~a9200097/biography.html http://www.fish.com/music/al_stewart/history/palace_of_versailles.html http://perso.club-internet.fr/seni/ http://kekux1-stub.kek.jp/~marat/jpm.html End<{{{ From http://www.asis.com/sfhs/women/charlotte.html }}}>Begin Charlotte Corday's Murder of Jean-Paul Marat Written by John Illustrated by Ajaibu n the chaos of the Revolution of 1789, atrocities and murder were the constant companion of the French people. However, one murder is particularly interesting because scholars frequently neglect the roles of women who also contributed to the frenzy of the French Revolution. Charlotte Corday was an attractive young woman who shocked the country by murdering a leader of the Paris Commune and Jacobin Party by the name of Jean-Paul Marat. Although she had believed that she was saving France from the ruthless tyrant, she did not realize the futility of her efforts. Marie Anne Charlotte Corday d'Armont was a well brought up girl from Caen, descended from the poet Corneille, who felt that the French Revolution was going to far in 1793. For this she blamed Jean-Paul Marat. To her Marat represented anarchy because he had demanded the execution of King Louis XVI and later the overthrow of the Girondins in the National Convention. Proof of her romantic dreams is in her statement that she had intended to stab Marat in the hall of the Convention. She had imagined herself stabbing Marat in the heart right in front of the entire Committee.. Marat was a radical journalist. Between 1789 and 1792, the brutal effectiveness of his attacks and the importance of his targets made him exposed repeatedly to the prosecution and arrest. He was even forced to flee to Great Britain twice. But even while in hiding he continued to publish his paper with the help of his friends. The conditions that he lived under, often living in the sewers below Paris, made him prone to severe skin irritation that forced him to be in medicinal baths most of the day. And so he was when he was visited by Corday. So what was it that really happened instead of the way that Corday imagined the public murder that she would commit on Saturday, July 13, 1793? Corday, who had just come to Paris after making final preparations, went to seek out the Jacobin leader. She had sent him a note asking to speak to him about certain occurrences in Caen. He was working on an article for his paper L' Ami du Peuple about disturbances in Caen and so of course he was interested in speaking to her. When she was admitted to Marat's bathroom, she kept to her story about an uprising that would take place in Caen. He began to write the facts down and after they were finished she surprised him by quickly drawing a butcher's knife which had been purchased in Paris and stabbed him through the heart. After she had stabbed Marat she was caught by his attendants before she had a chance to flee from the house. In a preliminary interrogation she had overtly confessed to coming to Paris to murder Marat. The most startling factor of Corday's action was that she maintained her composure both before and after the crime. The Police Commissioner wrote, "Convinced that the flames of Civil War were about to be ignited throughout France and certain that Marat was the principle author of these disasters, the prisoner testified that she wished to sacrifice her life for her country." Despite her valiant efforts, Corday's attempts to save France were in vain. Instead of ending the reign of Marat she made him die a martyr. His funeral was an extravagant ceremony and his remains were hysterically worshipped. The futility of Corday's act doesn't diminish the role of women in the French Revolution. Although she destroyed the chances for the Girondins to recover, her act wasn't unappreciated. Vergniaud said, "She has killed us, but she has taught us how to die." She died bravely on the guillotine four days after the murder of Marat. She was 24 years old. I think that Charlotte Corday was a very determined, brave woman. End<{{{ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of Teachers, elders or wise men. 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