Law of 22 Prairial
Encyclopedia
The Law of 22 Prairial, also known as the loi de la Grande Terreur, the law of the Reign of Terror
, was enacted on June 10, 1794 (22 Prairial of the Year II under the French Revolutionary Calendar). It was proposed by Georges Auguste Couthon
and lent support by Robespierre. It was one of the ordinances passed during this stage of the French Revolution
, by means of which the Committee of Public Safety
simplified the judicial process to one of indictment and prosecution. It extended the reach of the Revolutionary Tribunal
, and limited the ability of the accused to defend themselves, broadening the scope of those who might be brought within the purview of revolutionary justice. The penalty for all offences under the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Tribunal
was death.
It provided for a climate of moral suspicion with the clause which stipulated that:
Every citizen is empowered to seize conspirators and counterrevolutionaries, and to bring them before the magistrates. He is required to denounce them as soon as he knows of them.
Many in the Convention were opposed to the Law, including some who were on the Committee of Public Safety themselves, fearing that the concentration of power would lead inevitably to dictatorship and damage yet further the Republic. Less than two months later came 9 Thermidor
, the downfall of Robespierre and the Mountain
and the beginning of the Thermidorian reaction
. The Law of 22 Prairial was removed on the 1st of August 1794 in a manner congruent to the revolution's return to moderation under the Thermidorian government of limited suffrage.
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, was enacted on June 10, 1794 (22 Prairial of the Year II under the French Revolutionary Calendar). It was proposed by Georges Auguste Couthon
Georges Couthon
Georges Auguste Couthon a French politician and lawyer in the French Revolution. Couthon would befriend Robespierre and serve on the Committee of Public Safety with him from 30 May 1793 until his and Robespierre’s deaths in 1794...
and lent support by Robespierre. It was one of the ordinances passed during this stage of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, by means of which the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
simplified the judicial process to one of indictment and prosecution. It extended the reach of the Revolutionary Tribunal
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal was a court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, and eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror....
, and limited the ability of the accused to defend themselves, broadening the scope of those who might be brought within the purview of revolutionary justice. The penalty for all offences under the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Tribunal
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal was a court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, and eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror....
was death.
It provided for a climate of moral suspicion with the clause which stipulated that:
Every citizen is empowered to seize conspirators and counterrevolutionaries, and to bring them before the magistrates. He is required to denounce them as soon as he knows of them.
Many in the Convention were opposed to the Law, including some who were on the Committee of Public Safety themselves, fearing that the concentration of power would lead inevitably to dictatorship and damage yet further the Republic. Less than two months later came 9 Thermidor
Thermidor
Thermidor was the eleventh month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word thermal which comes from the Greek word "thermos" which means heat....
, the downfall of Robespierre and the Mountain
The Mountain
The Mountain refers in the context of the history of the French Revolution to a political group, whose members, called Montagnards, sat on the highest benches in the Assembly...
and the beginning of the Thermidorian reaction
Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction was a revolt in the French Revolution against the excesses of the Reign of Terror. It was triggered by a vote of the Committee of Public Safety to execute Maximilien Robespierre, Antoine Louis Léon de Saint-Just de Richebourg and several other leading members of the Terror...
. The Law of 22 Prairial was removed on the 1st of August 1794 in a manner congruent to the revolution's return to moderation under the Thermidorian government of limited suffrage.