the Reign of Terror

political terror

• terror in areas of federal revolt

• In Lyon thousands of ‘federalists’ were arrested and 300 rebels had been sentenced to death within days of outbreak

successful?:

• 7th September the Law of Suspects was passed which empowered the Watch Committees to arrest anyone who appeared to be enemies of the revolution

• The Vendean army was defeated in November

economic terror

• the convention imposed the death penalty for hoarding food and other supplies

• the General Maximum Law 29th September

• when peasants refused to sell grain at the maximum price, the government confiscated supplies

successful?:

• the General Maximum Law fixed the price of bread and essential goods at 1/3 above the prices in June 1790

• the GML increased fear as there were severe consequences for hoarding

• bread riots broke out in Bordeaux due to blocked supply lines

religious terror

dechristianisation campaign

Churches were desecrated and Christian practices were replaced with revolutionary cults

successful?:

• these actions alienated many

• Convention deputies were accused of incompetence

overall how successful was the terror exercised by the CPS?

successful in the short term at protecting the Revolution

ultimately unsustainable and politically damaging

Around 40,000 people died, which created fear and resentment across France

ultimately destroyed its own leaders