AQA · A-Level · History
Course version: 7042 · Version from Sept 2017
The aftermath of the Terror: the Thermidorian reaction and White Terror;…
Full specification wording
2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – 1795–1815 The Directory and Napoleon's rise to power, 1795–1799: The aftermath of the Terror: the Thermidorian reaction and White Terror; the 1795 Parisian risings
The Thermidorian reaction dismantled the Terror's machinery after Robespierre's fall in 1794, closing the Jacobin Club and curtailing the Revolutionary Tribunal.
Checked against the AQA 7042 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 1 of 4
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
The Thermidorian reaction dismantled the Terror's machinery after Robespierre's fall in 1794, closing the Jacobin Club and curtailing the Revolutionary Tribunal. This unleashed the White Terror, a violent backlash where conservative gangs, like the Companies of the Sun, murdered former Jacobins. Economic deregulation and the abolition of price controls caused hyperinflation and severe famine. This desperation sparked the 1795 Parisian risings of Germinal and Prairial, where sans-culottes demanded bread and the 1793 Constitution. The government used the regular army to crush these revolts, permanently breaking the political power of the sans-culottes and marking a decisive shift towards reliance on military force to maintain domestic order.
What earns the marks
- Explain the political dismantling of the Terror during the Thermidorian reaction, including the restructuring of government committees.
- Analyse the causes and nature of the White Terror, distinguishing between Parisian Muscadins and provincial violence.
- Evaluate the economic impact of ending the Maximum, linking it to the severe winter of 1794-1795 and subsequent food shortages.
- Assess the significance of the Germinal and Prairial risings in demonstrating the decline of sans-culotte influence and the government's willingness to use the army.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing the White Terror with a coordinated royalist uprising.
Put it right: It was largely a series of decentralised revenge attacks against former terrorists.
Assuming the Thermidorians wanted to restore the monarchy.
Put it right: Most were republicans who had participated in the Terror but wanted to end its excesses.
Treating the 1795 risings as successful.
Put it right: They were decisively crushed and marked the end of the sans-culottes as a major political force.
Exam tips
- Use the specific names of the 1795 risings (Germinal and Prairial) to demonstrate precise chronological knowledge.
- Link the economic policies of the Thermidorians directly to the outbreak of the 1795 risings to show causal understanding.
- Highlight the government's use of the regular army in Prairial as a key turning point in the Revolution's power dynamics.
Try the lesson
The start of the 2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – 1795–1815 The Directory and Napoleon's rise to power, 1795–1799: The aftermath of the Terror: the Thermidorian reaction and White Terror; the 1795 Parisian risings lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Who were the primary targets of the White Terror that followed the fall of Robespierre?
Listen
The Thermidorian reaction dismantled the Terror's machinery after Robespierre's fall in 1794, closing the Jacobin Club and curtailing the Revolutionary Tribunal. This unleashed the White Terror, a violent backlash where conservative gangs, like the Companies of the Sun, murdered former Jacobins. Economic deregulation and the abolition of price controls caused hyperinflation and severe famine. This desperation sparked the 1795 Parisian risings of Germinal and Prairial, where sans-culottes demanded bread and the 1793 Constitution. The government used the regular army to crush these revolts, permanently breaking the political power of the sans-culottes and marking a decisive shift towards reliance on military force to maintain domestic order. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explain the political dismantling of the Terror during the Thermidorian reaction, including the restructuring of government committees. Analyse the causes and nature of the White Terror, distinguishing between Parisian Muscadins and provincial violence. Evaluate the economic impact of ending the Maximum, linking it to the severe winter of 1794-1795 and subsequent food shortages. Assess the significance of the Germinal and Prairial risings in demonstrating the decline of sans-culotte influence and the government's willingness to use the army. Exam tip: Use the specific names of the 1795 risings (Germinal and Prairial) to demonstrate precise chronological knowledge.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Thermidorian reaction
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White Terror
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1795 Parisian risings
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See every definition
- Thermidorian reaction
- The dismantling of the Terror's machinery after Robespierre's fall in 1794, closing the Jacobin Club and curtailing the Revolutionary Tribunal.
- White Terror
- A violent backlash where conservative gangs, like the Companies of the Sun, murdered former Jacobins.
- 1795 Parisian risings
- The risings of Germinal and Prairial, where sans-culottes demanded bread and the 1793 Constitution.
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Test your understanding of 2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only) – 1795–1815 The Directory and Napoleon's rise to power, 1795–1799: The aftermath of the Terror: the Thermidorian reaction and White Terror; the 1795 Parisian risings
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