the Thermidorian govt.

• the Law of 22 Prairial which was a form of social terror and prevented free trials was introduced on 1st August 1794
• the revolutionary tribunal was reorganised on 10th August 1794. Guillotines were less used and replaced with the dry guillotine for many perpetrators of the Terror. Many of the offenders simply rebranded themselves
• on the 24th of August 1794, changes for a reorganised and decentralised power were underway.

  1. revolutionary committees were reduced to one per dept. (acted as judiciary)
  2. central govt. was put in the hands of the conventions and committees
  3. new representatives en mission (REN) were in charge of removing Jacobins from authority
• on the 31st of August, the power of the Paris Commune was reduced and then completely abolished in 1795
• on the 18th of September 1794, the Church and state were separated and the state stopped paying clerical salaries
• on the 12th of November in 1794, the Jacobin Club was closed and all affiliated societies were disbanded.

  political clubs were not allowed to meet up anymore
• on the 24th of December in 1794, the law of maximum was repealed and public workshops were returned to private ownership
• in February of 1795, toleration for all religions was returned but there were still some restrictions for Catholics
• in April 1795, the representatives en mission were fully abolished
• in May 1795, the revolutionary tribunal was finally abolished. After the usage of the guillotine in the Terror, there were 63 more deaths of the perpetrators
• in October 1795, the law of suspects was no longer used and was finally repealed as a formality.
• when the Thermidorians came into power, the expelled Girondins were reintroduced into the convention
• although some people were guillotined for their role in the Terror, ex-CPS members such as Barere, Herbois and Billaud-Varenne were sent to the dry guillotine.
• the Thermidorians did not have much support from the sans culottes or the poorer sections of society. They saw the return of the Girondins as a threat to their interests.
• the main goal of the Thermidorian govt. was to return to stability whilst not giving the power to mob rule or royalists. Jacobins were a threat because of political people were left alive and royalist emigres were returning and wanted their property back
• The comte de Provence came back and encouraged the Verona declaration to take vengeance over the regicides
• those who wanted a return to the Catholic church were silenced by the Thermidorians who still banned religious dress and symbols. It was ignored until the reintroduction of the oath of loyalty