The journalist, physician and politician Jean Paul Marat, by the will of fate, became one of the leaders of the French Revolution. His personality is controversial: some are very positive about his work, others consider him a cruel executioner, disgusting and unworthy person. But few people disagree with the fact that Jean-Paul Marat is a big and significant figure for the history of France.
Jean Paul Marat: wanderer and doctor
Marat was born in May 1743 in the town of Budri (now it is the canton of Neuchatel in Switzerland) in the family of a doctor. He lost his parents quite early, and at the age of sixteen left his native land. From that moment, Marat had to take care of himself on his own.
For two years he was an educator in the house of a merchant in French Bordeaux. For the next ten years, he lived in Holland and England, moving from place to place and making money with medical practice and private lessons. At the same time, Jean Paul constantly improved his education.
In addition, during these years, Marat created a number of works on medicine, and thereby made himself a significant number of enemies. Even then he was distinguished by the passion of tone, the ability to attack authorities and bring them down.
In 1775, the University of Edinburgh awarded Marat the title of Doctor of Medicine. And from 1779 until 1787, Marat served as a doctor in the state of Count d'Artois in France.
Journalism and Political Activities
The first political book of Marat "The Chains of Slavery" was published in 1774. In it, he denounced tyranny and sang the values of freedom and equality. Six years later, in 1780, Marat composed a treatise for the contest entitled “Criminal Law Plan”. In this work, he advocated the mitigation of punishment for certain crimes (the revolutionary believed that crime in many cases is the result of poverty and poverty).
In the eighties, Marat was very consistent in protecting the interests of the poor. And in 1789, when a revolution broke out in France, Marat decided to publish the newspaper "Friend of the people." And this turned out to be a major milestone in his career. The newspaper made Marat a cult figure. The nickname "friend of the people" stuck to him.
He allowed himself to criticize the highest officials for their misconduct. In the texts published on the newspaper pages, kings, ministers, and members of the National Assembly got it. "Friend of the people" was continuously under the pressure of state structures. But always, when Marat was summoned to court, he managed to deftly deftly. His newspaper had a fantastic popularity, and greatly contributed to the spread of protest in Paris.
With each new issue of "Friend of the People" the number of ill-wishers of Marat grew. And this forced him to go to an illegal position. At the height of the revolution, at the end of 1791, Marat even left for Great Britain. But on the calm London streets, the revolutionary was uncomfortable - he was used to being on the cutting edge. After a short absence, the unsinkable Marat returned to Paris. This happened in April 1792.
