Which event is associated with the radical phase of the French Revolution?

Which event is associated with the radical phase of the French Revolution?

• A. The Declaration of the Rights of Man
• B. The Reign of Terror
• C. The Coup of 18 Brumaire
• D. The Napoleonic Code

Answer: (B)

The radical phase is defined by using force and centralized power to defend the revolution, even at the expense of civil liberties. The Reign of Terror embodies this approach, as the Committee of Public Safety, led by Robespierre, used harsh measures to root out enemies and maintain the revolution, executing thousands by the guillotine in 1793–1794. This period also saw strict censorship, revolutionary tribunals, and mass mobilization, showing a shift from reform to coercive action to preserve the new order. The other options belong to different moments: the Declaration of the Rights of Man is an early revolutionary document emphasizing rights and constitutional ideas, not terror; the Coup of 18 Brumaire marks Napoleon’s rise to power and the end of the radical phase; the Napoleonic Code is later legal work under Napoleon.

The radical phase is defined by using force and centralized power to defend the revolution, even at the expense of civil liberties. The Reign of Terror embodies this approach, as the Committee of Public Safety, led by Robespierre, used harsh measures to root out enemies and maintain the revolution, executing thousands by the guillotine in 1793–1794. This period also saw strict censorship, revolutionary tribunals, and mass mobilization, showing a shift from reform to coercive action to preserve the new order. The other options belong to different moments: the Declaration of the Rights of Man is an early revolutionary document emphasizing rights and constitutional ideas, not terror; the Coup of 18 Brumaire marks Napoleon’s rise to power and the end of the radical phase; the Napoleonic Code is later legal work under Napoleon.