What was the Thermidorian Reaction and when did it occur?

• A. A political backlash against Robespierre and the Jacobins that began with his downfall in July 1794
• B. The 1799 coup that brought Napoleon to power
• C. The founding of the Directory in 1795
• D. The invasion of Austria in 1793

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is recognizing what the Thermidorian Reaction was and when it happened. It was the political shift that followed the fall of Robespierre in July 1794 (9 Thermidor Year II). With Robespierre arrested and executed, the radical power of the Jacobins and the Committee of Public Safety collapsed. The revolution moved away from the terror and centralized, radical measures toward a more conservative, bourgeois-led direction. This included easing some radical policies, closing the Jacobin clubs, and paving the way for a new government—the Directory—whose rule began in 1795. So, the Thermidorian Reaction is the summer 1794 backlash against Robespierre and the Jacobins that ended the most radical phase of the Revolution. It’s not Napoleon’s 1799 coup or the invasion of Austria in 1793; those are different events.