What was the phase called in which large numbers (about 17,000) of French people were executed?

What was the phase called in which large numbers (about 17,000) of French people were executed?

• A. The Reign of Terror
• B. The Directory
• C. The Hundred Days
• D. The Consulate

Answer: (A)

During the radical phase of the French Revolution, the state used terror to eliminate perceived enemies and protect the revolution. This period, roughly 1793–1794, is known as the Reign of Terror. The Committee of Public Safety oversaw revolutionary courts and the guillotine, leading to the execution of many thousands of people—commonly cited figures hover around 16,000 to 40,000, with about 17,000 officially counted. The purpose was to suppress counterrevolution and dissent amid war and internal upheaval. The other options refer to different moments in the era. The Directory came after the Terror, a relatively unstable government. The Consulate was Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule starting in 1799, before he became emperor. The Hundred Days marks Napoleon’s brief return to power in 1815. None of these periods is associated with the same scale of public executions as the Reign of Terror.

During the radical phase of the French Revolution, the state used terror to eliminate perceived enemies and protect the revolution. This period, roughly 1793–1794, is known as the Reign of Terror. The Committee of Public Safety oversaw revolutionary courts and the guillotine, leading to the execution of many thousands of people—commonly cited figures hover around 16,000 to 40,000, with about 17,000 officially counted. The purpose was to suppress counterrevolution and dissent amid war and internal upheaval.

The other options refer to different moments in the era. The Directory came after the Terror, a relatively unstable government. The Consulate was Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule starting in 1799, before he became emperor. The Hundred Days marks Napoleon’s brief return to power in 1815. None of these periods is associated with the same scale of public executions as the Reign of Terror.