Title: Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
Headings: Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
Content: In the course of several purges, he destroyed even close compatriots such as Danton. It is estimated that more than 25,000 people were killed because of their political views. Many of them were put to death with no legal defense. Though many were scientifically executed using the guillotine, others were destroyed by firing squads, cannon fire, and even drowning en masse. At the beginning of yet another round of purges in 1794, members of the Convention who thought they might be among his next targets, shouted him down as he got up to speak. He was accused of tyranny and arrested. Subject to the same procedures he had used against his political enemies, Robespierre was denied the right to self-defense. After a failed rescue attempt, Robespierre and more than 80 of his followers went to the Guillotine. The end of Robespierre meant the end of the Reign of Terror. His death marks for many historians the end of the French Revolution.