Robespierre, whose name is firmly associated with the Great French Revolution, has always been and remains a man of mystery. Having devoted himself entirely to protecting the interests of the people, he eventually turned into the executioner of this people. Having started his political career with demands for equal rights for citizens and the abolition of the death penalty, he ended it by dividing citizens into “virtuous” and “evil” and introducing mass terror. He was adored and hated, his life was turned into a legend: some - into a “golden” one, about a great fighter for the freedom and happiness of the people; others - in the “black”, about a dictator striving for power literally over the heads of his comrades. There is no clear answer and, apparently, there never will be. All that remains is attempts to understand what History warns about in the person of its chosen one, Robespierre.