Threshold of Terror

The failure of the French Revolution of 1789 to establish stable political institutions based on a liberal constitutional monarchy led to terror, civil war and instability for France and twenty-three years of almost uninterrupted war for the rest of Europe. This account documents the crucial twenty-four hours over the 9 and 10 August 1792 which led to the fall of the king and set in motion the chain of events that culminated in the Reign of Terror. During this period, over 40,000 people were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal and guillotined.