During this time, thousands of individuals were executed by the guillotine, the most notable being King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The guillotine became the symbol of the Terror, and its executions were often met with a grim sense of spectacle.
The Committee of Public Safety's goal was to eliminate enemies of the revolution and maintain the power of the republic. The Reign of Terror was marked by a pervasive sense of fear and paranoia, and even minor forms of dissent could lead to arrest and execution. Robespierre's use of the Terror reached a peak in the summer of 1794, when around 1,400 individuals were executed in just a few months.
However, the excessive violence and authoritarian measures of the Reign of Terror led to widespread discontent. As support for Robespierre waned, he and his allies within the Committee of Public Safety were arrested and executed in July 1794. The end of the Reign of Terror marked a turning point in the French Revolution, leading to a more moderate phase and eventually to the establishment of the Directory.