reign of terror
Despotic oppression period
A reign of terror is a period of violent, oppressive rule marked by systematic persecution, executions, or intimidation.
The phrase describes any era when fear dominates—whether imposed by a dictator, a ruthless boss, or a bully: The new manager's reign of terror ended when she was fired. (Capitalized Reign of Terror refers to the French Revolutionary period.)
- RobespierreRevolutionary who devoured himself
- Thermidorian ReactionConservative backlash after Terror
- guillotineVertical beheading apparatus
- French RevolutionLate-1700s republican upheaval
- dechristianizationEliminating religious presence systematically
September Massacres · tyranny · dictatorship · despotism · Jacobins · enemy of the people · oppression · fear · political purges · mob rule · sans-culottes · violence · blood in the streets · totalitarian · autocracy · radicalism · massacre · public executions
- intimidationthreats, threatening, menacing, intimidate, bullying
- oppressionoppression, tyranny, racism, repression, secret police
- Ivan the Terribletsar, tsardom, Moscow, Kremlin, boyars
- OsageOsage Nation, Fairfax, Avant, oil wealth, FBI investigation
- royaltyking, queen, prince, princess, kings
- Weather Idiomsunder the weather, when it rains it pours, come rain or shine, rain check, take a rain check
reign of terrorrule of law
Supremacy of established laws
constitutional government · liberal democracy · golden age · democratic governance · age of reason
reign of terrorhalcyon days
Period of happiness and tranquility
belle époque · golden era · golden age · peacetime · calm
terrible, terribly, terror, reign, terrify, terrorist, terrorism, reigning, terrorize