The Reign Of Terror
The Reign of Terror was, in essence, the government against its opponents. The leader of the Committee of Public Safety was named Robespierre. He believed that everything that he did was for the good of France. In his ideal world everyone would be free, equal, and well educated.
Robespierre launched a program that was to silence people who criticized the government in any way. There were special courts that tried people arrested for being "enemies" of the republic. During the period between September of 1793 and the July of 1794, there were between twenty and forty thousand (20,000 - 40,000) people executed by means of the guillotine and others. Most of the men who were executed were clergymen, aristocrats, and common people.
This finally ended when Robespierre was arrested in July 27, 1794. The very next day he was escorted to the guillotine and was executed. This was the day that finally ended the Reign of Terror.
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