How did the phrase Republic of Virtue relate to the revolutionary program?

• A. It referred to economic liberalism and free markets.
• B. It implied religious tolerance above all.
• C. Robespierre's idea that virtue and political correctness justify extraordinary measures to secure the republic, including terror.
• D. It signified a return to aristocratic constraints.

Answer: (C)

The idea behind the Republic of Virtue is that a republic must be built on citizens who embody moral virtue, and that the state must actively enforce this virtue to protect the common good. In the revolutionary program, Robespierre argued that virtue alone isn’t enough; the government must use decisive, even coercive means to preserve the republic when enemies threaten it. That meant extraordinary measures, including the use of terror, as tools to purge corruption and deter counter-revolutionary activity while shaping society around the desired moral order. So this phrase encapsulates the belief that virtue legitimizes stern actions taken in defense of the republic, a justification that underpinned the Reign of Terror. The other options miss the core link between civic virtue and the justification for harsh wartime measures, focusing on economics, religious tolerance, or aristocratic constraints instead.