{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.011778563015312132, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 5.159420289855072, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Situating the Reign of Terror in the History of Modern Terrorism

The historiography of terrorism attributes a foundational place to the Reign of Terror, yet the Reign of Terror was very different from anything associated with terrorism today. This chapter aims at placing the Reign of Terror in the history of modern terrorism. It discusses the multiple meanings of terror during the revolutionary era, when it was seen simultaneously as an emotional experience, a historical event, and a political concept. It also examines the practices of political violence during the French Revolution, showing that they were less repressive and more chaotic than is often assumed. The chapter argues that the Reign of Terror invites us to question the definitions and broaden the categories of analysis that currently dominate the historiography of terrorism.