Reign of Terror
Preserved but no longer current.
The period in the French Revolution from March 1793 until July 1794, when supreme power was in the hands of the Committee of Public Safety, formed by the Jacobins and dominated by Robespierre, St. Just, and Couthon. In addition to supporters of the old regime, hundreds of revolutionaries themselves perished by the guillotine, drown- ing, or shooting, as a result of the universal atmosphere of suspicion, mistrust, hatred, and private spite.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Reign of Terror” mean?
The period in the French Revolution from March 1793 until July 1794, when supreme power was in the hands of the Committee of Public Safety, formed by the Jacobins and dominated by Robespierre, St. Just, and Couthon. In addition to supporters of the old regime, hundreds of revolutionaries themselves perished by the guillotine, drown- ing, or shooting, as a result of the universal atmosphere of suspicion, mistrust, hatred, and private spite.
Is “Reign of Terror” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.