4.11 Radical Stage of the French Revolution

The Revolution turns radical

After the monarchy's fall in 1792, France became a republic under threat from foreign invasion and internal revolt. The Jacobins, led by Maximilien Robespierre, dominated the National Convention and pushed the revolution further left. The Committee of Public Safety took near-dictatorial power to defend the republic from enemies at home and abroad.

The Reign of Terror

From 1793-1794, the Reign of Terror used the Revolutionary Tribunal and guillotine to eliminate perceived enemies of the revolution, executing thousands including King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and rival revolutionaries like the Girondins. Levée en masse (mass conscription) mobilized citizens for total war, while price controls addressed economic crisis.

Thermidorian Reaction and Directory

Fearing for their own lives, moderates overthrew and executed Robespierre in the Thermidorian Reaction (July 1794), ending the Terror. The Directory (1795-1799) followed—a corrupt, unstable government of the wealthy bourgeoisie that struggled with economic problems and war, ultimately paving the way for Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power via coup in 1799.

Key terms

Jacobins

Radical political faction led by Robespierre that dominated the National Convention and drove the Terror.

Committee of Public Safety

Near-dictatorial body led by Robespierre that directed the war effort and Reign of Terror.

Reign of Terror

1793-1794 period when the Revolutionary Tribunal executed thousands of perceived enemies of the revolution via guillotine.

Thermidorian Reaction

July 1794 coup that overthrew and executed Robespierre, ending the Reign of Terror.

The Directory

Corrupt, unstable bourgeois government (1795-1799) that preceded Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power.

Try an AP-style question

The Reign of Terror (1793–94) was led by…

1. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Directory
2. Louis XVI and the loyal nobility
3. Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety
4. Lafayette and the National Guard