For months, Maximilian Robespierre had been the most powerful man in revolutionary France. Leader of the Jacobins, member of the Committee of Public Safety, and the face of the Terror. In the name of virtue and the revolution, he had sent thousands of real or perceived enemies to the guillotine.

But in 1794, something changed. The war against the "First Coalition" was progressing better, the external danger was diminishing, and the Terror, which had previously seemed necessary, began to seem excessive. In Paris, dozens of heads were falling every day. The law of 22 Prairial (June 10) had eliminated almost all guarantees for the accused: suspicion was enough to kill. Robespierre, instead of slowing down, accelerated. He eliminated his rivals, including Hébert's extremists and Danton's moderates. Eventually, he was left alone and, politically isolated, feared by all, and no one felt safe anymore. On July 26, 1794 (8 Thermidor), Robespierre returned to the Convention and delivered a scathing speech, denouncing a conspiracy and naming no names, but it was a disaster. Fear created an unlikely alliance of enemies: moderates, former Jacobins, and simple opportunists, all united by a single goal: survival.

The next day, July 27 (9 Thermidor), the Convention reacted. During the debate, Robespierre tried to speak, but was interrupted by shouts of “Down with the tyrant!” Within hours, Robespierre was arrested along with his allies, including Saint-Just and Couthon. But his supporters, especially in the Paris Commune, freed him and took him to the Hôtel de Ville. The Convention, however, reacted more quickly and declared Robespierre an "outlaw." This meant he could be executed without trial. So at dawn on July 28, troops loyal to the Convention entered the building. Robespierre was captured and, a few hours later, was guillotined along with his closest associates. It was the end of the Terror.

For months, politics had been driven by fear, violence, and the idea that to save the Republic, it was necessary to eliminate every enemy. After Thermidor, the Jacobins were dismantled, and a more moderate, even more unstable, phase began.