He became a prominent member of the Cordeliers Club (an extreme Revolutionary club) in 1791. The following year he was a member of the Commune of Paris and was arrested in 1793 after his violent attacks on the Girondins. Although he was always popular with the mob, he and his followers, the Hébertistes, came into conflict with Robespierre when he organized “The Worship of Reason”. This substitute for the worship of God led to his arrest and execution in March 1794.