Abstract
The terror is often depicted as the most violent period of the French Revolution, and maybe of the French history. The terror is a regime set up by Robespierre and the Committee of public safety in the aftermath of the fall of the Girondins on the 2nd of June 1793. The committee of public safety was very powerful, and could give orders to the National Assembly and to the different ministries. It was created in April 1793 in order to “provide more effective action and greater coordination between executive and legislative branches of the government”. Indeed, between September 1793 and the fall of Robespierre, the Committee has been the government of France, since it had a say on most important decisions. Moreover, the power of the committee stemmed from the popularity of its members; Robespierre was the symbol of the French Revolution and of the fight against the Ancien Régime. He was backed by Saint Just, a young and ambitious man whose influence had been growing and growing over the period. Other members were also very popular, such as Couthon, Hérault de Séchelles and Lazare Carnot.
