Law of 22 Prairial Enacted

• The Law of 22 Prairial is enacted by the National Convention.
• The law accelerates the trial process for suspects of counter-revolutionary activities.
• The law leads to an increase in executions during the Reign of Terror.

The Law of 22 Prairial (enacted on 10 June 1794) was a legal decree passed during the French Revolution which significantly altered the judicial procedures of the Revolutionary Tribunal. Named after the French Revolutionary calendar's date, the law was introduced by Georges Couthon, one of the prominent members of the Committee of Public Safety. The law aimed to expedite the trial process of suspected enemies of the revolution.

Under the Law of 22 Prairial, the rights of the accused were severely curtailed. Defendants were denied the right to legal counsel, which fundamentally undermined their ability to present a proper defense. Additionally, the law allowed for verdicts to be decided without direct evidence, relying instead on moral proof or indirect allegations. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty (a principle that features heavily in modern legal systems) was effectively reversed.

The judiciary process was streamlined to the point where only two possible verdicts could be rendered by the Tribunal: acquittal or death. In essence, this meant that once an individual was brought before the Tribunal, their chances of survival were gravely diminished. The number of executions in Paris surged dramatically as a result of this law.

This period, characterized by the heightened application of the death penalty, earned the moniker "The Great Terror." Prominent revolutionaries themselves fell victim to the harshness of the law. Maximilien Robespierre (one of the principal architects of the Reign of Terror), used the law to eliminate perceived counter-revolutionary threats. However, it also contributed to his downfall, as fears of indiscriminate executions spread among the leaders of the revolution.

The law remained in effect for a little over a month, but its impact was profound. The Committee of Public Safety intended to consolidate power and suppress internal dissent, but the resultant overreach ultimately led to a backlash. On 27 July 1794 (known as 9 Thermidor), Robespierre and his allies were arrested and executed, which effectively marked the end of the Reign of Terror. The Law of 22 Prairial was repealed shortly after, during the Thermidorian Reaction, as the revolutionaries sought to distance themselves from the draconian measures that had defined this period.

• The Law of 22 Prairial, enacted on 10 June 1794, significantly expedited the judicial process during the Reign of Terror, allowing for expedited trials for those accused of 'counter-revolutionary' activities.
• Under this law, defendants were deprived of the right to present a defense; instead, judges could simply render a verdict based on the evidence presented against the accused, creating an atmosphere of fear and paranoia among the populace.
• The law increased the number of executions dramatically; the number of individuals guillotined rose from an average of 60 per month before the law to nearly 1,400 in just the two months following its enactment.
• Many historians consider the Law of 22 Prairial a turning point that exemplified the radicalization of the Jacobins; it essentially stripped away any remaining façade of legal protection for political dissidents.
• The law was repealed shortly after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre on 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794), as it was seen as a tool of oppression that contributed to the downfall of the revolutionary government.