By the summer of 1794, the French had succeeded in defending the country
against invasion. Now, there was less need for the Terror, but it continued
nonetheless. Robespierre, who had become very powerful, used the guillotine
to rid himself of his most dangerous opponents within the Convention. Finally,
his opponents in the Convention gathered enough votes to condemn him, and Robespierre was guillotined on July 18, 1794. The execution of Robespierre
led to the end of the Terror.

The Directory (1794-1799)

After the death of Robespierre, power passed to the wealthy middle class, which took control of the Convention. The National Convention prepared a  new constitution for the Republic, the Constitution of 1795. Five directors -
the Directory - acted as the executive authority. Incompetent and corrupt, the
new government could not find a solution to the country's economic problems
and was still carrying on the war. This led to a coup d' etat (violent overthrow of the government) in 1794 in which the popular general Napoleon Bonaparte was able to seize power.