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The Rest Is History · October 4, 2026 · 1h 16m

711. The Terror: Killing God (Part 5)

Dominic Sandbrook, Tom Holland

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Robespierre’s elaborate 1794 Festival of the Supreme Being, a state‑sponsored attempt to replace Catholicism with a deist civic religion at the height of the Reign of Terror. They discuss what the spectacle reveals about Robespierre’s own psychology and his genuine belief in a divine creator, and whether the French Revolution could ever truly supplant Christianity.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Preview

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The Festival of the Supreme Being as Revolutionary Civic Religion
Robespierre orchestrated the Festival of the Supreme Being in 1794 to establish a deist state religion during the Radical phase of the Revolution.
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Robespierre’s Personal Divine Belief
The episode explores Robespierre's sincere conviction in a divine creator and how this shaped his revolutionary vision.
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