In 1794, French revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre produced the world's first defense of "state terror" - claiming that the road to virtue lay through political violence. This film combines drama, archive and documentary interviews to examine Robespierre's year in charge of the Committee Of Public Safety - the powerful state machine at the heart of Revolutionary France. Contesting Robespierre's legacy is Slavoj Zizek, who argues that terror in the cause of virtue is justifiable, and Simon Schama, who believes the road from Robespierre ran straight to the gulag and the 20th-century concentration camp. The drama, based on original sources, follows the life-and-death politics of the Committee during "Year Two" of the new Republic.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| JJan PearsonNarrator (voice) | Narrator (voice) |
 Stephen HoganMaximillian Robespierre | Maximillian Robespierre |
 Ed StoppardHerault | Herault |
 Brian PettiferCouthon | Couthon |
| DDavid AndressSelf - Author 'The Terror' | Self - Author 'The Terror' |
 Martin HancockCollot | Collot |
| CColin JonesSelf - Author 'The Great Nation' | Self - Author 'The Great Nation' |
 Jonny PhillipsCarnot | Carnot |
 Slavoj ŽižekSelf - Author - 'In Defence of Lost Causes' | Self - Author - 'In Defence of Lost Causes' |
 Simon SchamaSelf - Author - 'Citizens' | Self - Author - 'Citizens' |
| MMarisa LintonSelf - Author - 'The Politics of Virtue' | Self - Author - 'The Politics of Virtue' |
| HHilary MantelSelf - Author - 'A Place of Greater Safety' | Self - Author - 'A Place of Greater Safety' |
| RRuth ScurrSelf - Author 'Fatal Purity' | Self - Author 'Fatal Purity' |
 George MaguireSaint-Just | Saint-Just |