The spread of the Terror: executions; the influence of Robespierre and the…

The idea

The Terror spread rapidly as the Committee of Public Safety (CPS), guided by Maximilien Robespierre, centralised power. Driven by the radical demands of the Parisian sans-culottes, the National Convention passed the Law of Suspects, which the CPS enforced. This led to widespread executions by guillotine. Robespierre justified this violence as necessary for civic virtue. However, the Great Terror of 1794 alienated his supporters. The execution of Danton, coupled with the Law of 22 Prairial accelerating trials, created pervasive fear within the Convention. This culminated in the coup of Thermidor; Robespierre's fall and execution dismantled the CPS's dictatorial apparatus, triggering the rapid collapse of the Terror.

What earns the marks

• Analyse the role of the Committee of Public Safety (CPS) as the executive engine of the Terror, centralising authority.
• Evaluate the ideological and political influence of Robespierre in justifying state violence through the concept of 'virtue'.
• Assess the pressure exerted by the sans-culottes on the Convention and the CPS to implement radical economic and punitive measures.
• Explain the causes of the Thermidorian Reaction, focusing on how the Law of 22 Prairial and the execution of political factions led to Robespierre's downfall.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Claiming Robespierre was a dictator who single-handedly orchestrated the Terror.

  Put it right: Explain that Robespierre was one of twelve members of the CPS and relied on the support of the sans-culottes and the Convention until Thermidor.

• Viewing the sans-culottes merely as a mindless mob.

  Put it right: Recognise the sans-culottes as a distinct political force with specific economic grievances and ideological goals that actively shaped CPS policy.

• Assuming the Terror ended immediately and peacefully upon Robespierre's death.

  Put it right: Note that while the institutional Terror collapsed, it was followed by the violent White Terror against former Jacobins.

Exam tips

• Contrast the ideological motivations of Robespierre with the pragmatic, survival-driven actions of the CPS and the Convention.
• Use specific legislation, such as the Law of Suspects and the Law of 22 Prairial, to demonstrate how the machinery of the Terror escalated.
• When discussing the collapse of the Terror, evaluate whether it was driven more by the removal of external military threats or by internal political self-preservation.