What was the Law of 22 Prairial and how did it shape the Reign of Terror?

• A. It postponed trials to allow for more evidence.
• B. It accelerated trials and broadened charges against suspected enemies, increasing executions and consolidating terror.
• C. It created a jury system to review sentences.
• D. It reduced the use of executions during the Reign of Terror.

Answer: (B)

The law intensified the Reign of Terror by making revolutionary justice faster, broader, and far less protective of the accused. It allowed revolutionary tribunals to convict on very limited evidence and often on denunciations alone, cutting back or removing many due process safeguards such as lengthy defense, credible witnesses, and certain rights of appeal. By widening the range of offenses deemed dangerous to the Republic and removing obstacles to quick punishment, it boosted the number of executions and reinforced the power of the Committee of Public Safety and Robespierre at the expense of individual rights. This combination—speed, broad charges, and fewer protections—deepened the climate of fear that defined the Terror and helped consolidate the regime’s control, even as it contributed to growing backlash that would soon culminate in Robespierre’s fall.