"The Reign of Terror...was a period of the French Revolution when...massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety."
The Reign of Terror was a period of intense violence and political repression during the French Revolution. This topic covers the causes and consequences of the Reign of Terror, including the execution of King Louis XVI, the rise of Maximilien Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety, and the impact on French society and culture.
The French Revolution: Overview of the causes, events, and outcomes of the French Revolution, which was a series of political and social upheavals in France from 1789 to 1799.
The Reign of Terror: Overview of the period of the French Revolution during which the Committee of Public Safety, under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, executed thousands of people as enemies of the Revolution.
Maximilien Robespierre: Biography and political ideology of the leader of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror.
The Committee of Public Safety: Overview of the powerful governmental body responsible for the Reign of Terror and the execution of thousands of people.
The Guillotine: Description and history of the machine used for executing people during the Reign of Terror.
The Revolutionary Tribunal: Description and history of the court established during the Reign of Terror to prosecute and execute people deemed enemies of the Revolution.
The Law of Suspects: Overview of the law passed during the Reign of Terror that allowed the government to arrest and execute anyone suspected of opposing the Revolution.
The Cult of the Supreme Being: Overview of the religion established during the Reign of Terror as an attempt to de-Christianize France and create a new national religion.
The Thermidorian Reaction: Overview of the period that followed the Reign of Terror, during which Robespierre and his associates were executed and the power of the Committee of Public Safety was reduced.
The Legacy of the Reign of Terror: Discussion of the lasting impact of the Reign of Terror on French politics, society, and culture.
The September Massacres (1792): Violent attacks on suspected counter-revolutionaries in Paris.
The Law of Suspects (1793): Allowed the arrest of anyone suspected of opposing the revolution or aiding its enemies.
The Revolutionary Tribunal (1793): A court that tried and executed thousands of people, including former aristocrats and political opponents.
The Great Terror (1793-1794): A period of intense violence and political repression during which tens of thousands of people were executed, imprisoned, or forced into exile.
The Law of 22 Prairial (1794): An amendment to the Law of Suspects that expedited the trial and execution process, resulting in even more executions.
Thermidorian Reaction (1794): A political shift in which Robespierre and his allies were overthrown and the Reign of Terror officially ended.
White Terror (1795-1799): A period of revenge and violence against former revolutionaries by counter-revolutionaries and royalists.
Bonapartist Terror (1799-1815): The authoritarian rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, which brought a new form of political repression.
Symbolic/Twentieth-century interpretations: Various interpretations of The Reign of Terror that see it as a manifestation of the revolutionary ideal, as a revolution that went too far or as a product of an era in which violence was common.
"There is disagreement among historians over when exactly 'the Terror' began."
"Some consider it to have begun only in 1793, giving the date as either 5 September, June or March... Others, however, cite the earlier time of the September Massacres in 1792, or even July 1789."
"The term 'Terror' used to describe the period was introduced by the Thermidorian Reaction who took power after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre in July 1794, to discredit Robespierre and justify their actions."
"Today there is consensus amongst French historians that the exceptional revolutionary measures continued after the death of Robespierre, and this subsequent period is now called the 'White Terror.'"
"By then, 16,594 official death sentences had been dispensed throughout France since June 1793."
"...of which 2,639 were in Paris alone."
"An additional 10,000 to 12,000 people had been executed without trial."
"10,000 had died in prison."
"...in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason."
"...when the Revolutionary Tribunal came into existence."
"The Thermidorian Reaction...took power after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre in July 1794."
"...to discredit Robespierre and justify their actions."
"16,594 official death sentences had been dispensed throughout France since June 1793... An additional 10,000 to 12,000 people had been executed without trial and 10,000 had died in prison."
"Others...cite the earlier time of the September Massacres in 1792."
"When the Revolutionary Tribunal came into existence."
"The Reign of Terror...continued after the death of Robespierre."
"...revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason."
"...accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety."
"...the fall of Maximilien Robespierre in July 1794."