The Reign of Terror was a period in French history (September 5, 1793 to July 27, 1794) during which the Revolutionary government decided to take extremely harsh measures against people accused of being against the Revolution. This led to a wave of executions and deaths at the hands of the revolutionaries.
Several features can be identified in this "Terror." First, a salient feature of the Reign of Terror was its brutality and immediacy. People who were killed during this time were often not tried properly. The revolutionaries exercised a type of dictatorial power, sentencing people without due process. Another salient feature of this time period was the anti-religious measures taken by the government. These were an attempt to de-Christianize France, making it more secular. Finally, one of the features of the Reign of Terror was its economic element, as price-controls were implemented in order to support the poor.