Actually the Committee was a temporary government (until the war was won) established by the Convention itself and by the Commune de Paris, just like Le Tribunal Révolutionnaire. In June 1793 there was a purge indeed (ordered by La Commune de Paris), the Girondins were expelled but at the same time the Convention refused to sue them at the Tribunal (so in Province the Girondins started an uprising, the insurrcetion of Federalist). Danton was "in charge" of the Committee until July 93 by the way. The Convention elected Robespierre to the Committee the 27th of July , although he had not sought the position.
There was actually a constant struggle for power in the institutions at the time. The Jacobins manage to rule everything until Summer 1794, because their views fit in the context of war (civil war and war against European kings)and Robespierre was the voice of the Jacobins, but even between them there were struggles (basically there was a right wing and a left wing)that were obvious in the Committee and there was also a constant rivalry between the committee and La Commune de Paris (mostly ruled by Hébert and Les Enragés).
Robespierre didn't have any special charge in the Committee he was just a member like the others, but he did have charisma and an obvious influence thanks to his speaking skills so he played the role of connection between the Committee and the Convention (he convinced the deputies to vote many social laws), and between the Committe and the Commune de Paris.
According to the sources he was always depressive and in Spring 1794 he went absent very often. I do think something broke inside of him then. He was much less articulate in his speeches, he lost perspective.
So I don't think that the Convention was a mere puppet, the deputies decided to follow Robespierre for a long time and then chose to stop listening to him, refused to pass his motions, followed his adversaries and voted his arrest first in July 1794 and then declared him an outlaw (which meant death penalty without a trial)because they feared a Parisian uprising (which Robespierre apparently couldn't bring himself to order while he has follower at La Commune de Paris).
The myth of Robespierre the Dictator has been partly built by Les Thermidoriens like Barras who took power throough a mere coup d'Etat, that and of course after his death many of his colleagues tried to save themselves (there was a White Terror then) by blaming Robespierre.
The assembly became a real puppet when army took the real power during the Directoire and of course when Napoleon became First Consul. But that is another story...
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There was actually a constant struggle for power in the institutions at the time. The Jacobins manage to rule everything until Summer 1794, because their views fit in the context of war (civil war and war against European kings)and Robespierre was the voice of the Jacobins, but even between them there were struggles (basically there was a right wing and a left wing)that were obvious in the Committee and there was also a constant rivalry between the committee and La Commune de Paris (mostly ruled by Hébert and Les Enragés).
Robespierre didn't have any special charge in the Committee he was just a member like the others, but he did have charisma and an obvious influence thanks to his speaking skills so he played the role of connection between the Committee and the Convention (he convinced the deputies to vote many social laws), and between the Committe and the Commune de Paris.
According to the sources he was always depressive and in Spring 1794 he went absent very often. I do think something broke inside of him then. He was much less articulate in his speeches, he lost perspective.
So I don't think that the Convention was a mere puppet, the deputies decided to follow Robespierre for a long time and then chose to stop listening to him, refused to pass his motions, followed his adversaries and voted his arrest first in July 1794 and then declared him an outlaw (which meant death penalty without a trial)because they feared a Parisian uprising (which Robespierre apparently couldn't bring himself to order while he has follower at La Commune de Paris).
The myth of Robespierre the Dictator has been partly built by Les Thermidoriens like Barras who took power throough a mere coup d'Etat, that and of course after his death many of his colleagues tried to save themselves (there was a White Terror then) by blaming Robespierre.
The assembly became a real puppet when army took the real power during the Directoire and of course when Napoleon became First Consul. But that is another story...