The Reign of Terror
The French Revolution began with calls for liberty and equality, but by 1793, it had taken a violent and deadly turn. This period, known as the Reign of Terror, lasted from September 1793 to July 1794 and became one of the most infamous phases of the revolution. It was marked by mass executions, political purges, and fear, all in the name of protecting the revolution.
After the execution of King Louis XVI in January 1793, France was surrounded by enemies. European monarchies had formed the First Coalition to crush the revolution and restore the monarchy. At home, the French government faced uprisings, economic crisis, and conflict between revolutionary groups. The government responded by creating the Committee of Public Safety, a powerful group of 12 men given emergency powers to defend the revolution. The most influential of these leaders was Maximilien Robespierre.
Robespierre was a leader of the Jacobins, a radical political faction that believed in creating a “Republic of Virtue” through strict laws and harsh punishments. They argued that anyone who opposed the revolution—even by words or silence—was an enemy of the state. Robespierre believed that terror was necessary to protect liberty.
Under his influence, the government passed the Law of 22 Prairial, which limited the rights of the accused. People could be tried and executed with little or no evidence, and without a full defense. The guillotine, a machine designed to be a swift and “humane” form of execution, became a symbol of the Reign of Terror. In just one year, over 16,000 people were officially executed, and thousands more died in prison or by mob violence. Many victims were not aristocrats or foreign enemies but ordinary citizens.
The Girondins, a more moderate revolutionary faction, were among the first to be targeted by the Jacobins. Other victims included émigrés (nobles who had fled France), suspected royalists, and even members of the sans-culottes, the working-class revolutionaries who had once supported the Jacobins. Robespierre claimed these executions were necessary to defend the revolution from its enemies. However, over time, his actions began to worry even his closest allies. As the number of executions grew and Robespierre’s power increased, many feared they could be next.
In July 1794, during a time known as the Thermidorian Reaction, members of the National Convention turned against Robespierre. He was arrested and sent to the guillotine without trial—the same fate he had ordered for so many others. The fall of Robespierre marked the end of the Reign of Terror.
France entered a new phase of the revolution, one that rejected extreme violence and sought greater stability. But the legacy of the Terror remained. It showed how revolutionary ideals could be twisted into justifications for oppression. It also left France deeply divided and uncertain about the future of its government.
The Reign of Terror changed the course of the French Revolution. What began as a movement for freedom had become a time of fear. Robespierre and the guillotine represented both the power of revolutionary justice and the danger of going too far in its name.
SOURCE: https://www.worldhistory.org/Reign_of_Terror/
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