The Beginning of the First Republic (1792-1804)

The National Convention (1792-95)

In 1792, a new National Convention was elected. It abolished the monarchy and set up a republic.

In 1793, Louis XVI (and later the queen) was executed on the guillotine. His death shocked the other European monarchs. They formed a coalition to suppress the French republic, while the French were determined to spread revolution in Europe. War continued.

The Reign of Terror

In 1793, there were rebellions inside France and external wars against the Republic. The revolutionary set up the Committee of Public Safety to arrest and kill on the guillotine many people who were suspected of taking part in anti-revolutionary activities. The French people lived in terror. This period ended when the leader Robespierre was executed in 1794.