The Terror (1793-1794) is a confusing part of the French Revolution. What happened? What started it? Why? Historian Suzanne Levin explains and gives us the context we need to understand these events. There is a tendency to talk about the Terror as if it was happening in a vacuum, but it was far from that. It's a little bit complicated, but it makes sense once you learn about it.

To see the transcript of this episode, go to the show notes.

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Discussed in this Episode

• The Terror is a construct [03:27]
• Repression linked to crisis [03:59]
• High-profile people were the victims of the repression in this case [07:14]
• Recalling Deputies who went against their mandates [09:00]
• Trouble with provincial bourgeoisie [10:19]
• This was the age of Revolutions and not just in France [11:55]
• Reforms made in 1793 and 1794 that were ahead of their time [12:59]
• The Terror was both the height of repression and of the democratic movement [14:02]
• Who's a Revolutionary and who's a Counter-Revolutionary? [14:47]
• Mirabeau and the Pantheon [15:33]
• The inability to be openly against the Revolution [17:10]
• The legislative branch over the executive branch [22:23]
• Revolutionary Tribunal [23:47]
• Representatives on mission [24:34]
• Arrests begin [26:17]
• Law of Prairial [27:15]
• The law of suspects [29:03]
• Fourty thousand fell during the Terror [30:33]
• The role and donwfall of Robespierre [33:44]
• Why was Robbespierre arrested [37:17]
• Was Robespierre a dictator? [43:42]
• Why did the legend of the Terror persist? [44:51]