Thermidorian Reaction

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/thermidorian-reaction

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the historical period?July 27, 1794 – November 2, 1795
2. What is the primary location?France
3. Why did the French stop the Reign of Terror?People stopped the Reign of Terror because they were tired of the many executions and feared being next. They wanted a safer, more stable government. They also wanted to stop the extreme rules of the Committee of Public Safety.
4. How did the government change after the Thermidorian Reaction?After the reaction, the government gave up a lot of power to the National Convention and made decisions more shared. It also slowed down wartime measures and stopped the harsh dechristianization campaign. The Jacobin Club was dissolved and the sans-culottes were disarmed.

Reign of Terror: A period of intense political repression and mass executions during the French Revolution.
Committee of Public Safety: The de facto executive government of France during the Reign of Terror.
Montagnard Convention: The radical faction of the National Convention that dominated during the Terror.