[39], Robespierre was taken out of the Htel de Ville with a broken jaw. The causes for this political sea change are diverse, but story has it that one mis-step was the straw breaking the camel's back. One of the regimes renamed the months . As a result, the Republic of Virtue was short-lived. An estimated 1500 people were executed in Paris during June and July 1794, which marked the last stage of the Hanriot ordered the Paris prisons to refuse to accept any prisoners being delivered by order of the National Convention. Mark, H. W. (2022, November 30). ","contentUrl":"https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/16738.jpg","copyrightNotice":"Alfred Mouillard - Public Domain - This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. The law also made it a crime to criticize the government or its officials. Jean-Lambert Tallien felt slighted when Robespierre ordered the arrest of his 21-year-old mistress. It was replaced by several forms of government, each more oppressive than the last. ","contentUrl":"https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/16735.jpg","copyrightNotice":"Max Adamo - Public Domain - This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Once a small-town lawyer from Arras, Robespierre had risen to prominence in the revolutionary Jacobin Club thanks to his unyielding quest for a virtuous republic, one in which citizens put the greater good above their own selfish desires. Fall of Maximilien Robespierre - World History Encyclopedia For this day he had planned a speech addressing the relationship between religion, morality, and the republican principles; and to establish the Cult of the Supreme Being in place of the Cult of Reason promoted by de-Christianizers like the Hbertists. Georges Couthon proposed a vote on whether it should be printed and distributed to the provinces, as was usual with Convention speeches. The Robespierrists took refuge in the Htel de Ville, sparking a brief standoff between the Paris Commune and the National Convention. In response, the government sent troops to quell the uprising. In the face of this ","creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Unknown Artist"},"creditText":"Unknown Artist / Wikipedia","dateModified":"2022-11-21T07:46:06+0000","datePublished":"2022-11-21T07:46:05+0000","encodingFormat":"image/jpeg","headline":"Triumvirate of Saint-Just, Robespierre, and Couthon","height":427,"isAccessibleForFree":true,"isBasedOn":{"@type":"CreativeWork","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triumvirate_Robespierre_Couthon_Saint_Just.jpg"},"isFamilyFriendly":true,"isPartOf":"https://www.worldhistory.org#website","license":"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16695/triumvirate-of-saint-just-robespierre-and-couthon/","publisher":"https://www.worldhistory.org#organization","representativeOfPage":false,"url":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16695/triumvirate-of-saint-just-robespierre-and-couthon/","width":400}. In the south, especially in Provence and the Rhne valley, the frontier between private feuds and political reaction blurred as law and order broke down. need for terror to keep the people in line. [1], On the following day, this tension in the Convention allowed Jean-Lambert Tallien, one of the conspirators whom Robespierre had in mind in his denunciation, to turn the Convention against Robespierre and decree his arrest. The month was named after the French word thermal, derived from the Greek word "thermos" (heat). This campaign was deeply unpopular with many people, and ultimately failed in its Dressed ostentatiously in a sky-blue coat, golden trousers, and a tri-colored sash, Robespierre took on the role of the high priest of this strange new cult, delivering self-indulgent speeches from atop a massive, artificial mountain. Yet the arrests of the Robespierrists caused great anger from the Commune and the Jacobin Club, which threatened to revolt against the Convention. Reign of Terror. ","creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Auguste Raffet"},"creditText":"Auguste Raffet / Wikipedia","dateModified":"2022-11-29T08:08:29+0000","datePublished":"2022-11-29T08:08:28+0000","encodingFormat":"image/jpeg","headline":"Tallien Demands the Arrest of Robespierre","height":599,"isAccessibleForFree":true,"isBasedOn":{"@type":"CreativeWork","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A2%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B5_9_%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0.jpg"},"isFamilyFriendly":true,"isPartOf":"https://www.worldhistory.org#website","license":"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16734/tallien-demands-the-arrest-of-robespierre/","publisher":"https://www.worldhistory.org#organization","representativeOfPage":false,"url":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16734/tallien-demands-the-arrest-of-robespierre/","width":461}. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. This was done in public, often on the Place de la Revolution in Paris. Thermidor is also the name of a story revolving around the end of the French Revolution in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, issue #29. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16755/prairial-uprising-of-year-iii/. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. designed to crush any internal opposition. Robespierre sat in the tumbril, eyes closed, features obscured by his bandages. Jacques-Alexis Thuriot, who had been a friend of the executed Danton, muttered to a companion, "Look at the bugger. During the Terror, some very very radical measures were undertaken by Robespierre and co., such as the Law of 22 Prairial (that I remember off the top of my head), that were opposed by a lot of the Convention. In Cholet, they killed over 2000 people, including women and children. Additionally, communication and troop movements were hampered by a sudden nighttime storm. The fall of Maximilien Robespierre, or the Coup of 9 Thermidor, was a series of events that resulted in the arrests and executions of Robespierre and his allies on 27-28 July 1794. By July 1793, the French Revolution was in crisis. Robespierre spent the last night of his life fading in and out of consciousness, in excruciating pain. Quizlet Flashcards | Quizlet For the English theatrical play, see, Division within the Revolutionary Government. Meanwhile, Robespierre continued to cement his power. Unknown author, 1794. In the following months, other Jacobin leaders across France were arrested and executed for their own roles in the Terror. Tallien accused him of giving an unapproved speech, while Billaud-Varenne recounted how he had been chased from the Jacobins the night before. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. He had no idea just how soon that promise would come to fruition. Cite This Work Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! This motion was carried by a large majority. By 2:30a.m., they had entered the Htel de Ville and made the arrest. Updates? Only Saint-Just remained still, stoically accepting his fate. The Terror also saw the rise of Maximilien Robespierre, a radical Jacobin leader who controlled the Committee of Public Safety, the main governing body of the ","creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jacques-Louis David"},"creditText":"Jacques-Louis David / Wikipedia","dateModified":"2022-11-29T08:05:42+0000","datePublished":"2022-11-29T08:05:41+0000","encodingFormat":"image/jpeg","headline":"Sketch of Robespierre on the Way to the Guillotine","height":580,"isAccessibleForFree":true,"isBasedOn":{"@type":"CreativeWork","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sketch_of_Robespierre.jpg"},"isFamilyFriendly":true,"isPartOf":"https://www.worldhistory.org#website","license":"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16733/sketch-of-robespierre-on-the-way-to-the-guillotine/","publisher":"https://www.worldhistory.org#organization","representativeOfPage":false,"url":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16733/sketch-of-robespierre-on-the-way-to-the-guillotine/","width":800}. The most common form of execution during the Reign of Terror was beheading. Feeling backed into a corner, these men, later known as the Thermidorians, were made much more dangerous by the fact that their lives were on the line. This period of the Terror became quite brutal, as those who were seen as 'counter-revolutionaries' or 'enemies of the state' were Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Scurr, 344). This term comes from the French Revolution, when the monarchy was overthrown. [37][35] They were taken before the Committee of General Security and sent to different prisons. Archived post. ","creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Max Adamo"},"creditText":"Max Adamo / Wikipedia","dateModified":"2022-11-29T08:10:30+0000","datePublished":"2022-11-29T08:10:29+0000","encodingFormat":"image/jpeg","headline":"Fall of Robespierre in the National Convention, 27 July 1794","height":534,"isAccessibleForFree":true,"isBasedOn":{"@type":"CreativeWork","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Max_Adamo_Sturz_Robespierres.JPG"},"isFamilyFriendly":true,"isPartOf":"https://www.worldhistory.org#website","license":"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16735/fall-of-robespierre-in-the-national-convention-27/","publisher":"https://www.worldhistory.org#organization","representativeOfPage":false,"url":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16735/fall-of-robespierre-in-the-national-convention-27/","width":800}. Contents Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia. Thermidorian Reaction - Wikipedia At the Siege of Toulon in 1793, where a young Napoleon Bonaparte was an artillery captain, the French Republican Army used mass executions to terrorize the [12], With these purges, the power of the Committee was reaffirmed. say that it was created by Tony Girod at the Caf de Paris to celebrate the opening of a play called Thermidor.). He had long controlled the massively influential Jacobin Club, and now dominated the powerful Committee of Public Safety as well. The Thermidorian Reaction | History of Western Civilization II ","creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Alfred Mouillard"},"creditText":"Alfred Mouillard / Wikipedia","dateModified":"2022-11-29T08:18:50+0000","datePublished":"2022-11-29T08:18:49+0000","encodingFormat":"image/jpeg","headline":"Robespierre Taken to the Guillotine","height":599,"isAccessibleForFree":true,"isBasedOn":{"@type":"CreativeWork","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alfred_Mouillard_-_Robespierre_partant_%C3%A0_la_guillotine.jpg"},"isFamilyFriendly":true,"isPartOf":"https://www.worldhistory.org#website","license":"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16738/robespierre-taken-to-the-guillotine/","publisher":"https://www.worldhistory.org#organization","representativeOfPage":true,"url":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16738/robespierre-taken-to-the-guillotine/","width":444}. To this, Robespierre raised his voice enough to retort: "Danton! As they rolled through the streets to the scaffold, a woman was heard to shout: "Go now, evil one, go down into your grave loaded with the curses of the wives and mothers of France" (Scurr, 357). In particular, the sansculotte Jacques Hbert and his followers were arrested and executed. Robespierre Taken to the GuillotineAlfred Mouillard (Public Domain) Will A Woke Spring Make Way For Thermidorian Relief? When the Thermidorian reaction came, all the atrocities of the Reign of Terror were imputed to him. Thermidorians - Wikipedia Many deputies of the Convention were disturbed by this development, seeing it as Robespierre's attempt to solidify himself as dictator. Robespierre spoke out against dechristianization, and argued that it was counter-productive. However, he introduced draconian laws. It also took [25], During his absence from both the National Convention and the Committee of Public Safety through the months of June and July (Messidor), Robespierre prepared a speech to be delivered on 26 July (8 Thermidor). Paris Jacobin club was closed and Jacobin clubs in the provinces were forbidden to correspond with each other. He named no names except, curiously, for Pierre Cambon, head of the Finance Committee, content to let the rest of the deputies wonder which among them were traitors. Prairial Uprising of Year III. It's not enough for him to be master, he has to be God" (Doyle, 278). He believed that religion could be used to control the people, and that In France: The Thermidorian Reaction the streetsdegenerated into a "white terror" against the men of year II. It started July 19 or 20. Background Gendarme Charles-Andr Merda shooting at Maximilien Robespierre Conspiracies against Robespierre, who had dominated the Committee of Public Safety, came together on 9 Thermidor (27 July) 1794. 16th of October 1793. Thermidorian reaction: the fall of Robespierre. It wound back the Reign of Terror, purged the government of Jacobin influence and attempted to restore some of the political, social and economic values of 1789, all with mixed results. Robespierre believed that virtue could only be achieved through terror, and he helped to implement some of the most ruthless measures of the Reign of 24 Jul 2023. [34] He was interrupted by Tallien, who complained that both Robespierre and Saint-Just had broken with the Committees and now spoke only for themselves; and then by Billaud-Varenne, who related how he and Collot had been driven out of the Jacobin Club the previous day, and who accused Robespierre of conspiracy against the Convention. The Reign of Terror (French: la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety . Feeling the noose begin to tighten, mobs of Parisians had invaded the National Convention, France's provisional legislature, on 5 September, demanding affordable bread and that their enemies be unmasked and brought to justice. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. in the population. Thousands of people were The Thermidorian Reaction - Alpha History When they ran out of enough guillotines, they used cannons to kill their victims. who crushed all opposing groups. The most famous victim was Marie Antoinette, who was executed on the A pupil of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Robespierre believed fervently that the only way to reach a just and equal republic was by rooting out the corruption and tyranny present within that society. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished. [1] Moreover, it was precisely because he failed to name the condemned that terror spread through the Convention as the deputies started thinking that Robespierre was planning yet another purge like that of the Dantonists and Hbertists. Painting by Pierre-Antoine Demachy, c. 1794.\r\n\r\nMus\u00e9e Carnavalet, Paris. [41] He was guillotined at the same Place de la Rvolution where his enemies King Louis XVI, Georges Danton, and Camille Desmoulins had been executed. Vacancies on the CPS and CGS (created by the most recent guillotinings) were filled by moderate Dantonists and members of "the Plain" The Thermidorian Reaction, Revolution of Thermidor, or simply Thermidor refers to the coup of 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794) in which the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre was sidelined and its leaders arrested and guillotined, resulting in the end of the Reign of Terror. Leon Trotsky, in his book The Revolution Betrayed, refers to the rise of Joseph Stalin and the accompanying post-revolutionary bureaucracy as the "Soviet Thermidor". Uploaded by Harrison W. Mark, published on 02 December 2022. The Law of 14 Frimaire was a major blow to freedom of expression in France and led to the silencing of many voices that were critical of the government. He removed his bloodstained jacket before the executioner ripped the bandages off his face to give the guillotine's blade an unobstructed fall. The Reign of Terror came to an end in July 1794, after a period known as the Thermidorian Reaction. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. [5] During the months between September 1793 and July 1794, the Committee's power increased dramatically due to several measures instated during the Terror, such as Law of Suspects, and the latter Law of 14th Frimaire, becoming the de facto executive branch of the Revolutionary Government, under the supervision of the National Convention. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. One does not become the virtual dictator of a regime of Terror without making enemies. As the sluggish insurrection struggled to organize itself, the Convention declared that the escaped Robespierrists were outlaws, thereby depriving them of their right to a trial. We care about our planet! The French Revolution (1789-1799) - SparkNotes Uprising of 1 Prairial Year III (20 May 1795) against the policies of the Thermidorian Reaction during the later stages of the French Revolution (1789-1799). Francois Furet & Mona Ozouf & Arthur Goldhammer. Others have argued that he was fatigued, or that the executions of Danton and Desmoulins still weighed heavily on his conscience. The French Republican calendar (French: calendrier rpublicain franais), also commonly called the French Revolutionary calendar (calendrier rvolutionnaire franais), was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and . For the counter-revolutionary, there is a grim satisfaction in the Thermidorian Reaction. However, these troops were often ruthless and indiscriminate in their actions, The Role of Pamphlets during the Thermidorian Reaction Ironically, it was Tallien who set off the storm of anti-terrorist pamphlets. Exiles to Guiana in South America. Surprised and menaced by the Thermidorian reaction, he denounced its partisans to the Jacobin club. [19], More opposition came from the Committee of General Security, which had not been consulted over the contents of the Law. Robespierre's willingness to sacrifice his friends for his principles proved that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, causing many other revolutionary leaders to wonder if they would be next. November 9 Napoleon overthrows the Directory Key People Emmanuel-Joseph Sieys Theorist and clergy member who maneuvered his way onto the Directory in May 1799 while plotting with Napoleon, enabling Napoleon to take control upon returning to Paris Napoleon Bonaparte in the population. It signaled the end of the Reign of Terror, the end of Jacobin dominance of the French Revolution (1789-1799), and the beginning of the Thermidorian Reaction. Please support World History Encyclopedia. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. where they drowned. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Robespierre self-righteously equated his principles with those of the Revolution itself. The Thermidorians were inadvertently aided by Robespierre himself, who retreated from public life on 18 June & seldom reappeared until 26 July. Why did you not defend him?" Select: all / none. Yet the Committee of Public Safety was not about to give up its executive powers. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Robespierre jumped to Saint-Just's defense, at which point he was loudly booed and heckled by the gathered deputies, who shouted, "down with the tyrant!" execution of thousands of people, many of whom were innocent of any crime. This law placed severe restrictions on the press, and allowed the government to censor During the fight, the sword projected an energy blast that killed lise and wounded Germain. who crushed all opposing groups. [36], The Convention then voted to arrest five deputies Robespierre, his brother, Couthon, Saint-Just, and Le Bas as well as Franois Hanriot, and other Robespierrist officials. [26] In it, he attempted both to defend himself from the rumors and attacks on his person that had been spreading since the start of the Reign of Terror; and to bring light to an anti-revolutionary conspiracy that he believed reached into the Convention and the Governing Committees. World History Encyclopedia, 30 Nov 2022. Bibliography spectators. A man by the name of "Thermidor" is the leader of the ORCA reactionary group in the video game Armored Core: For Answer. The Thermidorian Reaction, Revolution of Thermidor, or simply Thermidor refers to the coup of 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794) in which the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximilien Robespierre was sidelined and its leaders arrested and guillotined, resulting in the end of the Reign of Terror. With nothing to lose, Cambon declared that "it is time to tell the whole truth: one man is paralyzing the National Convention; that man is the one who has just made a speech; it is Robespierre!" population into submission. Reddit, Inc. 2023. Help us and translate this article into another language! crisis, the new regime turned to terror as a way to consolidate its power and silence its opponents. At Savenay, the Republican troops massacred surrendered soldiers and civilians alike. As it happened, the uprising promised by Hanriot and the Jacobins never came. The death of Danton and Desmoulins, both formerly friends of Robespierre, left a deep toll on him. This victory signaled the end of the war against the Austrians, and with it, the end of the Terror government. The new government passed a series of laws known as the 'White Terror', which were designed to punish the supporters of the Revolution. Festival of the Supreme BeingPierre-Antoine Demachy (Public Domain) The chaos of this period led him to propose what he called a 'republic The Insurrection of 12 Germinal, Year III against the Thermidorian regime fails. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. On the 1st of August, 1793, the Convention decreed that anyone who opposed the government could be arrested and executed without a trial. This was done both with the intention of diminishing Robespierre, and to mock his religious positions and the Cult of The Supreme Being. The Republic of Virtue centred power around Robespierre himself, who became known as the 'Incorruptible'. His refusal to compromise on these beliefs simultaneously made him well-loved by his supporters and regarded as merciless by his enemies; he self-righteously equated his principles with those of the Revolution itself, so that disagreeing with him was tantamount to disagreeing with the Revolution. In the words of Fouquier-Tinville himself, "heads were falling like slates off the roof" (Davidson, 222). function tl_categories_checked() { Although the festival was well accepted by the crowds, Robespierre's prominent position in it was suspicious in the eyes of some deputies, and muttering began about Robespierre's fanaticism and desire for power. The Committee of General Security already felt threatened by the Committee of Public Safety's new ability to issue arrest warrants, as well as by the new Police Bureau, which was created by Saint-Just and was being run by Robespierre in his absence, and whose functions overlapped with that of the Committee of General Security. However, eventually even Robespierre fell victim to the violence, and was himself executed by means of the guillotine. In 1794, a coup at the Convention saw Robespierre being the one accused, for a change. ","creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Unknown Artist"},"creditText":"Unknown Artist / World History Encyclopedia","dateModified":"2023-07-23T22:10:47+0000","datePublished":"2022-05-05T06:51:53+0000","encodingFormat":"image/jpeg","headline":"Maximilien Robespierre","height":599,"isAccessibleForFree":true,"isBasedOn":{"@type":"CreativeWork","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robespierre.jpg"},"isFamilyFriendly":true,"isPartOf":"https://www.worldhistory.org#website","license":"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15738/maximilien-robespierre/","publisher":"https://www.worldhistory.org#organization","representativeOfPage":false,"url":"https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15738/maximilien-robespierre/","width":473}. Robespierre concluded his speech with his usual promise that he would gladly give his life for the good of the fatherland. (Scurr, 349). Learning Objective Describe the events of the Thermidorian Reaction Key Points execution of thousands of people, many of whom were innocent of any crime. They were all condemned to die that day and were carted off to the guillotine. At 9 a.m., Robespierre, Couthon, and Saint-Just were finally taken before the Revolutionary Tribunal; the mangled corpse of Le Bas and the dying Augustin Robespierre were also dragged in, as were Hanriot, Payen, and 16 other officials loyal to Robespierre. Such an act caused Robespierre agonizing pain in his final moments; he let out a sharp, primal scream that was only silenced with the fall of the blade. But the Commune's power had diminished during the Terror, allowing Convention troops to swarm the Htel, taking Robespierre, Louis Antoine Saint-Just, Georges Couthon, and others into custody. In the south, especially in Provence and the Rhne valley, the frontier between private feuds and political reaction blurred as law and order broke down.