Robespierre Monument
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The Robespierre Monument (Template:Lang-ru) was one of the first monuments erected in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (later part of the Soviet Union), raised on 3 November 1918 – just ahead of the one year anniversary of the October Revolution, which had brought the Bolsheviks to power. It depicted Maximilien de Robespierre, a prominent figure of the French Revolution. Located in Alexander Garden, it had been designed by the sculptor Beatrice Yuryevna Sandomierz (Template:Lang-ru). Created as part of the "monumental propaganda" plan,[1] the monument was commissioned by Vladimir Lenin, who in an edict referred to Robespierre as a "Bolshevik avant la lettre".[2] It was only one of several planned statues depicting French revolutionaries – others were to be made of Georges Danton, François-Noël Babeuf, Jean-Paul Marat, although only the one of Danton was ever completed. Another, also featuring Robespierre, was raised in Petrograd.[3]
Created in the context of the ongoing Russian Civil War and with the country in a state of war communism, there were few materials available to make the statue.[4] Lacking bronze or marble, the monument was instead constructed using concrete, with hollow pipes running through it. This design proved frail, lasting only a few days. In morning of 7 November only a pile of rubble remained. Different newspapers supplied varying versions as to why it collapsed over the following days, with Znamya Trudovoi Kommuny and others saying it was the work of "criminal" (counter-revolutionary) hands, and for example Izvestia stating the statue's demise was caused by improper construction.[5] Another theory is that the low-quality concrete was damaged by the recent heavy rainfall combined with cold weather.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Von Geldern, James (1993). Bolshevik Festivals, 1917-1920. Oakland: University of California Press. p. 83. ISBN 052-007-690-7.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Jordan, David P. (2013). Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre. New York City: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 147-672-571-3.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Schoenfeld, Gabriel (1995). Schwab, Gail M.; Jeanneney, John R. (eds.). The French Revolution of 1789 and Its Impact. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 286. ISBN 031-329-339-2.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Dunn, Susan (2000). Sister Revolutions: French Lightning, American Light. London: Macmillan Publishers. p. 169. ISBN 142-992-369-5.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Bean, Jennifer M.; Horak, Laura; Kapse, Anupama, eds. (2014). Silent Cinema and the Politics of Space. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 89. ISBN 025-301-507-3.
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