As a political strategist and tactician, Marat consistently and accurately identified the central issues of the moment, as well as the main line of the revolution’s development, and tirelessly hammered them into the consciousness of his readers. His early recognition of the reactionary essence of the Girondin appeal for an international military crusade is a prime example.
Marat’s most significant strategic move was the “new course” he embarked upon following the insurrection of August 10, 1792, which aimed at constructing a political alliance of Jacobins and sansculottes. That coalition was essential to the process of consolidating the revolution’s gains, and no one was more important in bringing it into being than Marat.
Marat’s tactical acumen was repeatedly demonstrated by his uncanny ability to provoke the authorities while evading arrest. When the time came that he no longer had to evade the authorities, his tactical prowess remained evident in his ability to continuously force his agenda upon the National Convention.
Marat’s tactical masterpiece was the conversion of his own trial in April 1793 into a decisive triumph over his Girondin prosecutors. His decision to evade arrest until a formal indictment had been brought against him was a critical one. Had he allowed himself to be imprisoned on the initial vague decree of accusation, the Girondins could have stalled and left him to rot in jail.
As a political strategist and tactician, Marat consistently and accurately identified the central issues of the moment.
The most spectacular example of Marat’s tactical genius was his intervention in the events that resulted in the insurrection of May 31–June 2, 1793. At the beginning of April, he had warned the overzealous sansculottes against prematurely rising in revolt. At the end of May, when he felt the time had come, he embarked upon a whirlwind of agitational activity, injecting an element of clarity into an otherwise confused mass movement.
Auteur: Clifford D. Conner
