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The Radical Revolution: Jacobins and the Reign of Terror

Core Concepts

Details the radicalization of the revolution, the execution of the king, the rise of the Jacobins, and the brutal Reign of Terror led by the Committee of Public Safety from 1792 to 1794.

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High School (Grades 9-12) / High School AP History & Civics / AP European History / The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era
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The Radical Revolution: Jacobins and the Reign of Terror

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Who were the 'sans-culottes'?
The radical working-class militants of Paris, so named because they wore long trousers ('pantalons') instead of the fashionable knee-breeches ('culottes') of the aristocracy. They were a key driving force for the radical phase of the revolution.
What was the key difference between the Jacobins and the Girondins?
Both were revolutionary factions. The Girondins were more moderate and favored a decentralized government. The Jacobins, particularly the Montagnard faction, were more radical, favored a centralized government in Paris, and were more aligned with the sans-culottes.
What government body replaced the Legislative Assembly in September 1792?
The National Convention. Its first major act was to formally abolish the monarchy and declare France a republic.
What was the fate of King Louis XVI?
The National Convention put Louis XVI on trial for treason. He was convicted and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, a pivotal event that horrified monarchies across Europe.
What was the Committee of Public Safety?
Established by the National Convention in April 1793, its purpose was to defend the revolution against foreign and domestic enemies. It assumed dictatorial control over France and was the main instrument of the Reign of Terror.
Who was Maximilien Robespierre?
A radical Jacobin leader who became the dominant figure on the Committee of Public Safety. He was a chief architect of the Reign of Terror, believing terror was necessary to create a 'Republic of Virtue.'
What was the Reign of Terror (1793-1794)?
A period of state-sanctioned violence and mass executions. The Committee of Public Safety used the guillotine to execute thousands of suspected 'enemies of the revolution,' including Girondins, nobles, clergy, and ordinary citizens.
What was the 'levée en masse'?
A policy of mass national conscription, decreed in August 1793. It drafted all able-bodied, unmarried men aged \(18\) to \(25\) into the military, creating the first modern citizen-army and helping France turn the tide in its wars against European powers.
What was the goal of the 'de-Christianization' campaign during the radical phase?
An effort by radical revolutionaries to eliminate Christian influence in France. It involved closing churches, creating a new secular calendar starting from Year I of the Republic, and promoting the 'Cult of Reason' and later the 'Cult of the Supreme Being.'
What was the Law of Suspects?
A decree passed during the Reign of Terror that gave the revolutionary tribunals broad powers to arrest and try individuals based on mere suspicion of being counter-revolutionary. It greatly expanded the scope of the Terror.
What was the Thermidorian Reaction?
The revolt within the National Convention on July 27, 1794 (9 Thermidor, Year II in the revolutionary calendar). Fearing they would be next, a coalition of deputies voted to arrest Robespierre. His execution the next day marked the end of the Reign of Terror.
What was the guillotine's symbolic meaning during the revolution?
Initially seen as an enlightened and egalitarian form of execution, it became the primary symbol of the Reign of Terror, representing both revolutionary justice and its brutal excesses.
Who was Georges Danton?
A leading figure in the early stages of the revolution and the first president of the Committee of Public Safety. He was later seen as too moderate by Robespierre and was executed during the Terror, famously saying, 'Show my head to the people; it is worth seeing.'
Who was Jean-Paul Marat?
A radical journalist and politician whose fiery newspaper, 'L'Ami du peuple' (The Friend of the People), called for extreme violence against enemies of the revolution. He was assassinated in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer, in 1793.
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