Law of the Great Terror

E494825

The Law of the Great Terror was a radical decree passed during the French Revolution that drastically expanded the powers of the Revolutionary Tribunal, curtailed defendants’ rights, and accelerated mass executions at the height of the Reign of Terror.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Law of the Great Terror canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf decree ⓘ
legal instrument ⓘ
revolutionary law ⓘ
abolished formal defense counsel for most accused ⓘ
aimedAt eliminating perceived enemies of the Revolution ⓘ
speeding up revolutionary justice ⓘ
allowedVerdicts acquittal ⓘ
death ⓘ
appliedIn French First Republic ⓘ
approvedBy National Convention ⓘ
associatedWith Committee of Public Safety ⓘ
Maximilien Robespierre ⓘ
cameIntoForceDuring Reign of Terror ⓘ
contributedTo growing opposition to Robespierre ⓘ
radicalization of the Terror ⓘ
country France ⓘ
dateEnacted 1794-06-10 ⓘ
dateEnactedFrenchRepublicanCalendar 22 Prairial Year II ⓘ
expandedPowersOf Revolutionary Tribunal ⓘ
field French revolutionary history ⓘ
legal history ⓘ
hasAlternativeName Law of 22 Prairial ⓘ
Loi du 22 prairial an II ⓘ
linked to: Law of 22 Prairial
historicalSignificance symbol of the extremity of revolutionary justice in 1794 ⓘ
increased number of executions in Paris ⓘ
jurisdiction Paris Revolutionary Tribunal ⓘ
language French ⓘ
legalBasisFor mass executions during the Great Terror ⓘ
limitedRightsOf defendants ⓘ
partOf French Revolution ⓘ
Reign of Terror ⓘ
politicalContext Committee of Public Safety dominance ⓘ
Jacobin dictatorship ⓘ
linked to: Reign of Terror
precededBy Law of Suspects ⓘ
proposedBy Georges Couthon ⓘ
reduced evidentiary requirements for conviction ⓘ
relatedTo Committee of General Security ⓘ
Revolutionary Tribunal ⓘ
removed possibility of sentence other than death or acquittal in many political cases ⓘ
right of appeal ⓘ
restricted defense counsel ⓘ
witness testimony for the defense ⓘ
simplified criminal procedure ⓘ
statedCriterionForConviction moral proof rather than strictly material evidence ⓘ
strengthened central control over political trials ⓘ
targeted political opponents of the Jacobins ⓘ
suspected counter-revolutionaries ⓘ
timePeriod Great Terror ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Law of 22 Prairial → alsoKnownAs → Law of the Great Terror ⓘ