French La Terreur (1793-94) Period in the French Revolution. It was established by the government on Sept. 5, 1793, to take harsh measures against those suspected of being enemies of the Revolution (including nobles, priests, and hoarders). Controlled by the radical Committee of Public Safety and Maximilien Robespierre, the Terror eliminated enemies on the left (Jacques Hébert and his followers) and the right (Georges Danton and the Indulgents). A law passed in June 1794 that suspended a suspect's right to public trial or legal defense caused the Thermidorian Reaction, and the Terror ended on July 27, 1794, with Robespierre's overthrow. About 300,000 suspects were arrested during the period; about 17,000 were executed, and many others died in prison
the historic period (1793-94) during the French Revolution when thousands were executed; "the Reign of the Bourbons ended and the Reign of Terror began"
Terror is violence or the threat of violence, especially when it is used for political reasons. The bomb attack on the capital could signal the start of a pre-election terror campaign
disapproval If someone describes a child as a terror, they think that he or she is naughty and difficult to control. He was a terror. He had been a difficult child for as long as his parents could remember