Thermidor

Thermidor refers to a period in the French Revolution, specifically the events that led to the downfall and execution of Maximilien Robespierre and his allies. This period is named after the month of Thermidor in the French Republican Calendar, which corresponds to July 19 to August 17 of the Gregorian calendar. The coup that ended the Reign of Terror occurred on 9 Thermidor, Year II of the Republic (July 27, 1794).

Following the execution of King Louis XVI and the escalating internal and external threats to the Republic, the Committee of Public Safety, dominated by Robespierre, had implemented the Reign of Terror to consolidate power and suppress dissent. However, by the summer of 1794, the perceived excesses and the climate of fear generated widespread opposition, even among members of the National Convention. Fearing they might be the next targets of Robespierre's purges, a coalition of convention members, including some former Jacobins and moderates, orchestrated his arrest.

Robespierre and his closest supporters were quickly apprehended and executed the following day without trial. The Thermidorian Reaction that followed marked a significant shift in the Revolution. It led to the dismantling of the machinery of the Terror, the release of many prisoners, and a move towards a more moderate and less radical political direction. The Committee of Public Safety's power was curtailed, and eventually, the Directory, a five-man executive body, was established, ushering in a new phase of the French Revolution. The term "Thermidor" has since become synonymous with a reactionary movement that overturns a previous revolutionary period.