Abstract

Jean-Paul Marat’s role in the French Revolution has long been a matter of controversy among historians. Often he is portrayed as a violent, sociopathic demagogue. This biography challenges that interpretation and argues that without Marat’s contributions as an agitator, tactician, and strategist, the pivotal social transformation that the revolution accomplished would not have occurred.

Clifford D. Conner argues that what was unique about Marat - setting him apart from all other major figures of the revolution, including Danton and Robespierre - was his total identification with the struggle of the propertyless classes for social equality. Fresh ideas surrounding the Champs de Mars Massacre, his assassination, the cult of Marat and the Légende Noire are all explored.
'A gripping introduction to the life of Marat and his role in the French Revolution'
Richard Sheldon, Lecturer in Social and Economic History, University of Bristol
'Cliff Conner's gracefully written and wisely observed biography of Jean Paul Marat tells the truth about this much maligned doctor and hero of the French revolution'
Michael Ratner and Michael Steven Smith, human rights attorneys and authors of Who Killed Che? How the CIA Got Away With Murder. Michael Ratner is President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
'Clears away the cobwebs and prejudices and then reveals why we should love and admire this egalitarian revolutionary'
Lynne Stewart, lawyer
'This biography, written in an accessible and lively style, presents an activist and journalist from the French Revolution, and rescues him from myths and slanders'
Ian Birchall, author of The Spectre of Babeuf (1997).
'A fresh, welcome look at one of the most complex and fascinating figures of the French Revolution'
Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost (1999) and Bury the Chains (2006)