3.3 | Thermidor Year II: the pivotal summer of 1794

In Thermidor Year II, some members of the Mountain party joined forces with other assemblymen in the hope of breaking out of the repressive dynamic upon which the Republic had embarked in the spring of 1793.

With the country’s military fortunes seemingly improving when victory was declared at Fleurus on 26 June 1794, some felt it was time to begin the transition to a regime that would be more respectful of freedoms and more effective at keeping the population in order. To attain this goal, it was important to find individuals who could be held responsible and to rewrite history. Denounced as solely responsible for the events that were for the first time called the “Terror”, Robespierre and those close to him were the prime targets of a campaign to purge and denigrate those considered guilty, during which a thousand legends were born.