Which period was characterized by mass executions overseen by the Committee of Public Safety?

• A. Directory
• B. Napoleonic Era
• C. Reign of Terror
• D. Thermidorian Reaction

Answer: (C)

The Reign of Terror is the period when the Committee of Public Safety held sweeping power and used drastic measures to defend the revolution. Under this centralized authority, revolutionary tribunals and the Law of Suspects enabled mass arrests and executions by guillotine as a way to root out enemies perceived to be threats to the revolutionary project. The aim was to deter counter-revolution and maintain unity amid war and internal unrest, which led to tens of thousands of people being executed or persecuted in a climate of fear. This aggressive phase peaked around 1793–1794 and ended with the Thermidorian Reaction, which brought an end to the terror and a shift away from such policies. The Directory and the Napoleonic Era followed, each with different political dynamics and less emphasis on the mass executions that defined this period.