JEAN-PAUL MARAT: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) was a physician-turned-political activist, going to great lengths to position himself as a living example of revolutionary virtue and transparency. He was editor of the newspaper L'Ami du Peuple (The friend of the people), which was dedicated to unmasking the enemies of the Revolution.

Marat had a reputation for being violent; he was one of those who promoted the execution of the counterrevolutionaries. In fact, he was in the habit of talking about the "guilty heads" of his opponents, playing on the French word guilty (coupable). The French verb couper means "to cut," so I gave it that double meaning.

late 18th century - - Image by © Gianni Dagli Orti / CORBIS

On the other hand, Marat served as a deputy of the city of Paris to the National Convention, the third revolutionary legislature, from where he constantly attacked government policy. These attacks made him antagonize the Jacobin party; its members believed that their populism was a threat to the stability of the nation.

Furthermore, Jean-Paul Marat also had enemies outside the judiciary. Among them was a woman who was sympathetic to the Girondin party, Charlotte Corday. In 1793, Corday entered Marat's Paris apartment under deception. So, she stabbed her to death in her bathtub.

Biography

Early years

Jean-Paul Marat was born in the village of Boudry, on Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland on May 24, 1743. He was the second of nine children sired by the couple of Jean-Paul Mara and Louise Cabrol. There was a controversy among historians over the difference in surnames between father and son. This was solved by consulting the baptismal certificate of June 8, 1743.

In the aforementioned act, it was established that Jean-Paul's surname was Mara (like his father's) and not Marat. Further investigation helped reveal that, at Jean-Paul's request, the surname was changed to Marat. It is presumed that the intention was to give the surname a French sound.

His father was born in Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia (Italy). He then became a Swiss citizen in Geneva in 1741. Jean-Paul Sr. was a well-educated Frenchman who was originally a Huguenot (follower of French Calvinist doctrine). This religious affiliation restricted many employment opportunities for him.

For his part, Jean-Paul Marat was not very handsome. In fact, from childhood they commented that he was hideously ugly and almost a dwarf. They also attributed a lack of hygiene to him. This made him a man full of envy and consumed with hatred. As a result of this, he had to face academic and occupational rejection throughout his life.

Youth and adult life

Throughout his youth, Jean-Paul Marat moved between a great diversity of residencies and professional careers. According to his biographers, he wanted to be a school teacher at 5 years old, a teacher at 15, a book author at 18, and a creative genius at 20.

Trying to realize her dreams, she left home at sixteen, and lived in England, France, Holland, and Italy. He became a self-taught doctor. Later, he became so respectable and professional that he was constantly required by the French aristocracy.

Jean-Paul Marat scholars traced his journey to the French cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux. In the latter he stayed for two years, during which he devoted himself to studying medicine, literature, philosophy and politics. There are no records that clarify whether he obtained any degree in these races.

Finally, Jean-Paul Marat arrived in Paris, and he devoted himself to scientific research. Later, he moved to London where he stayed until the moment the French Revolution broke out.

French Revolution

At the arrival of the French Revolution in 1789, Jean-Paul Marat was living in Paris busy with his medical and scientific practice. When the General Estates were called, he postponed his scientific career to devote himself entirely to politics and the cause of the Third Estate.

Starting in September 1789, he served as editor of the newspaper L'Ami du Peuple (The Friend of the People). From this rostrum, Marat became an influential voice in favor of more radical and democratic measures.

In particular, he advocated preventive measures against the aristocrats, who, according to his opinion, were planning to destroy the Revolution. In early 1790 he was forced to flee to England after publishing attacks on Jacques Necker, the king's finance minister. Three months later he returned to Paris and continued his campaign.

This time he directed his criticism against moderate revolutionary leaders such as the Marquis de Lafayette, the Comte de Mirabeau and Jean-Sylvain Bailly, mayor of Paris (member of the Academy of Sciences).

He also continued to warn against royalist émigrés and exiles who, he believed, would be organizing counterrevolutionary activities.

Death

His intense and radical political activity made him win many enmities, both political and personal. Although it is true that Jean-Paul Marat had admirers in France, he also had critics who even treated him as crazy and held him accountable for much of the violence that had broken out in France in the framework of the Revolution.

Prior to the time of his death, Jean-Paul Marat was a deputy in the National Convention, a member of the Public Safety Committee and an advisor to the First Paris Commune. In addition, he had been arrested numerous times and had to flee France more than once due to his involvement in the Jacobin party.

At the end of his life, Marat was fraught with disease and enemies, and began to isolate himself. His colleagues didn't always respect him. His disease-ridden body created bad odors and many avoided approaching him. In particular, he suffered from a skin condition that forced him to spend a lot of time submerged in a bathtub.

Precisely, on July 13, 1793, Charlotte Corday found him taking a bath and stabbed him. Charlotte was admitted to Jean-Paul Marat's room on the pretext that she wished to deliver a list of traitors to the revolution.

Contributions

Reform of criminal laws

In 1782, Jean-Paul Marat presented a reform plan inspired by the ideas of Rousseau (Swiss philosopher) and Cesare Beccaria (Italian criminologist). Among others, Marat suggested the elimination of the king as a key figure.

He also introduced the argument that society should satisfy the basic needs of its citizens, such as food and shelter, so that they could follow the laws.

Similarly, it promoted the ideas that judges should apply similar death sentences without taking into account the social class of the convicts. Also, he promoted the figure of a lawyer for the poor. On the other hand, he suggested the establishment of courts with 12-member juries to guarantee fair trials.

L'Ami du peuple (The friend of the people)

On the eve of the French Revolution, Jean-Paul Marat put his medical-scientific activity on hold to devote himself entirely to political activity. To this end, L'Ami du peuple (The friend of the people) was incorporated into the newspaper. From there he published fiery writings in defense of the Third Estate (the non-privileged French social classes).

Now, through this newspaper, much progress was made in the social project, although it also exacerbated the violence with its writings. For example, in January 1789, a publication explained what was to be considered the Third Estate for the purposes of the revolution.

Similarly, in July of that year the Constitution or Bill of Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was published. His intention was for those ideas to be included in the French Constitution. After being debated in the National Assembly, they were partially incorporated into the Constitution.

Literary / scientific works

Jean-Paul Marat was a man of an intense literary, political and scientific life. His political work includes A philosophical essay on man (1773), The chains of slavery (1774), Criminal Legislation Plan (1780), Constitution, draft declaration of the rights of man and citizen (pamphlet) (1789) and Praise of Montesquieu (1785).

On a scientific level, the most important are Inquiry into the nature, cause and cure of a singular eye disease (1776), Physical Research in Fire (1780), Physical Research in Electricity (1782), Basic Notions of Optics (1784), An Essay on Gleets (Gonorrhea) (1775), and Memorandum on Medical Electricity (1783).

References

1. Freund, A. (2014). Portraiture and Politics in Revolutionary France. Pennsylvania: Penn State Press.
2. Shousterman, N. (2013). The French Revolution: Faith, Desire and Politics. Oxon: Routledge.
3. Belfort Bax, E. (1900). Jean-Paul Marat. The People's Friend. Taken from marxists.org.
4. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2018, July 09). Jean-Paul Marat. Taken from britannica.com.
5. Silva Grondin, MA (2010). Reflecting on the Life of a Revolutionary: Jean-Paul Marat. Taken from inquiriesjournal.com.