"Liberty leading the People" by Eugène Delacroix ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The period following Louis's execution became known as `The Terror' in France. In the years 1793 - 1794, thousands of people suspected of anti-revolutionary activities or of helping France's enemies were sent to the guillotine. The Reign of Terror was caused by France's situation beforehand. On January 21, 1793, Louis was executed because he was accused of treason. This was because the National Convention suspected him of giving out plans to Austrian and Prussian armies. In February, the war was still going badly for France. And in March, there was a peasant revolt in Vendee. In August, the Jacobins claimed that "Terror is the order of the day". By the latter part of the summer, many areas of France were rebelling against the new radical Jacobin government. Because of these threats to the stability of France, the Convention took emergency measures. It set up a Committee of Public Safety which had twelve members. Measures such as setting up the Committee for Public Safety, were meant to allow the revolution to survive during a crisis. A fear of traitors had grown in France following revolution and war, and this led to another measure, revolutionary tribunals. The law was changed to try people quickly. All in all, The Reign of Terror was a short but intense period of the French Revolution characterized by an overflow of executions of presumed enemies of the state, directed by the Committee of Public Safety ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " Suspects shall be locked up.... The proof necessary to convict enemies...can be any kind ofevidence....If proof already exists there need be no further witnesses....The penalty for all offences under the law of revolutionary tribunal is death." ----------Extract from a law introduced by the Committee for Public Safety on September 17, 1793 to deal with suspects brought to tribunals. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information on topics in the Reign of Terror, such as Robespierre, Death in the Revolution, or the Committee of Public Safety, please click on a link below.
In Depth...
Robespierre
The Terror
The Committee of Public Safety
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