Chapter 13: The aftermath of the Terror
The Thermidorian reaction
The guillotining of Robespierre on 28th July 1794 did not see the immediate collapse of the old governmental
structure. The CPS and CGS survived but, within weeks, important changes have been made which undermined
their former status. Series of measures (some stretching into 1795) ensures that the days of the Terror over
- 31st July (13 Thermidor) – vacancies of the CPS and CGS, created by the latest round of guillotinings,
were mostly filled by moderate Dantonists and members of ‘the Plain’. This indicated the future
direction of government. There were exceptions to this: for example, former Montagnard Jean-Lambert
Tallien was one of a number who conveniently forgot his own involvement in the Terror, supported the
coup of Thermidor and helped lead the reaction
- 1st August (14 Thermidor) – the Law of 22 Prairial was repealed, and many held under its terms were
released from the gaols. Fouquier-Tinville, the feared public prosecutor during the Terror, was
arrested the same day. (After a 41-day trial, he was eventually guillotined, along with 15 of his men, in
May 1795
- 10th August – the Revolutionary Tribunal was reorganised and the number of guillotinings significantly
decreased; exile to Guiana, in South America, was frequently used as an alternative
- 24th August – the Law on Revolutionary Government provided for the complete reorganisation of
government and administration away from the highly centralised structure of terror:
The revolutionary committees were reduced to one per département. There were 12 in Paris
(one for every four sections); this broke the power of the sans-culottes in the sections and also
lead the basis for the structuring of Paris by 12 arrondissements.
Central government was put in the hands of 16 committees (including 12 principal ones),
responsible to the Convention. Provision was made for regular changes of membership; 25% of
members changed each month. This reduced the powers of the CPS and CGS. The
responsibilities of the CPS were limited to diplomacy, military operations and war materials
New représentants-en-mission were dispatched to the provinces to oversee these changes and
ensure that Jacobins were removed form positions of authority
st
- 31 August – the powers of the Paris Commune were reduced as part of the changes to government.
(The Commune was completely abolished in 1795.)
- 18th September – Church and state were separated. The state stopped paying clerical salaries; this
effectively ended ‘Constitutional Church’ which had acted as a branch of government – could be seen as
the beginning of secularisation in France
- 12th November – The Jacobin Club was closed down and all its affiliated societies throughout France
were disbanded
- 24th December – the Law of Maximum was repealed. Public workshops, which had been established as
part of the Terror’s attempt to provide for the poor, were restored to private ownership.
Further measures in 1795 included:
- February – toleration for all religions was proclaimed, although some restrictions on ‘Catholic’
practices remained in place
- April – représentants-en-mission were abolished
- May – the Revolutionary Tribunal was abolished (after a year with ‘only’ 63 guillotinings)
- October – the Law of Suspects, which had fallen into disuse, was officially repleaded
By the end of 1794, the moderates, representing the properties bourgeoisie, were in control in both central and
local government. In December, 73 deputies who had signed a resolution in support of the expelled Girondins
of June 1793 were readmitted to the Convention. They were joined the next year by a few who had been
condemned but managed to avoid arrest. Some Jacobins/Montagnards survived, but they were a minority, and
most were happy to forget their past. All the leading ‘Thermidorians’ shared a desire to restore stability
without restoring to extreme Jacobinism or monarchy. However, their political views ranged across the
political spectrum, and they had little in common with on another. Finding a middle way as they began work on
a new constitution was not easy
The Thermidorian reaction
The guillotining of Robespierre on 28th July 1794 did not see the immediate collapse of the old governmental
structure. The CPS and CGS survived but, within weeks, important changes have been made which undermined
their former status. Series of measures (some stretching into 1795) ensures that the days of the Terror over
- 31st July (13 Thermidor) – vacancies of the CPS and CGS, created by the latest round of guillotinings,
were mostly filled by moderate Dantonists and members of ‘the Plain’. This indicated the future
direction of government. There were exceptions to this: for example, former Montagnard Jean-Lambert
Tallien was one of a number who conveniently forgot his own involvement in the Terror, supported the
coup of Thermidor and helped lead the reaction
- 1st August (14 Thermidor) – the Law of 22 Prairial was repealed, and many held under its terms were
released from the gaols. Fouquier-Tinville, the feared public prosecutor during the Terror, was
arrested the same day. (After a 41-day trial, he was eventually guillotined, along with 15 of his men, in
May 1795
- 10th August – the Revolutionary Tribunal was reorganised and the number of guillotinings significantly
decreased; exile to Guiana, in South America, was frequently used as an alternative
- 24th August – the Law on Revolutionary Government provided for the complete reorganisation of
government and administration away from the highly centralised structure of terror:
The revolutionary committees were reduced to one per département. There were 12 in Paris
(one for every four sections); this broke the power of the sans-culottes in the sections and also
lead the basis for the structuring of Paris by 12 arrondissements.
Central government was put in the hands of 16 committees (including 12 principal ones),
responsible to the Convention. Provision was made for regular changes of membership; 25% of
members changed each month. This reduced the powers of the CPS and CGS. The
responsibilities of the CPS were limited to diplomacy, military operations and war materials
New représentants-en-mission were dispatched to the provinces to oversee these changes and
ensure that Jacobins were removed form positions of authority
st
- 31 August – the powers of the Paris Commune were reduced as part of the changes to government.
(The Commune was completely abolished in 1795.)
- 18th September – Church and state were separated. The state stopped paying clerical salaries; this
effectively ended ‘Constitutional Church’ which had acted as a branch of government – could be seen as
the beginning of secularisation in France
- 12th November – The Jacobin Club was closed down and all its affiliated societies throughout France
were disbanded
- 24th December – the Law of Maximum was repealed. Public workshops, which had been established as
part of the Terror’s attempt to provide for the poor, were restored to private ownership.
Further measures in 1795 included:
- February – toleration for all religions was proclaimed, although some restrictions on ‘Catholic’
practices remained in place
- April – représentants-en-mission were abolished
- May – the Revolutionary Tribunal was abolished (after a year with ‘only’ 63 guillotinings)
- October – the Law of Suspects, which had fallen into disuse, was officially repleaded
By the end of 1794, the moderates, representing the properties bourgeoisie, were in control in both central and
local government. In December, 73 deputies who had signed a resolution in support of the expelled Girondins
of June 1793 were readmitted to the Convention. They were joined the next year by a few who had been
condemned but managed to avoid arrest. Some Jacobins/Montagnards survived, but they were a minority, and
most were happy to forget their past. All the leading ‘Thermidorians’ shared a desire to restore stability
without restoring to extreme Jacobinism or monarchy. However, their political views ranged across the
political spectrum, and they had little in common with on another. Finding a middle way as they began work on
a new constitution was not easy
