Thermidorian
English edit
Etymology edit
From Thermidor + -ian, after French thermidorien.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
Thermidorian (plural Thermidorians)
- (history) Someone who took part in, or supported, the overthrow of Robespierre on the 9th Thermidor (27 July) 1794.
- 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 501:
- By then, the Thermidorians’ sights were already trained on a further target, namely, ‘the Four’, as they became known: Billaud-Varenne, Collot d'Herbois and Barère from the old CPS and Vadier from the CGS.
Adjective edit
Thermidorian (comparative more Thermidorian, superlative most Thermidorian)
- (history) Pertaining to such people (in French history).
- 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 501:
- The Thermidorian spirit of revenge focused particularly on the most extreme – and most unrepentant – former Terrorists within the Convention.
- Designating a relatively moderate reaction to a revolution.
- 1974, W.F. Wertheim, Evolution and Revolution:
- It is against the background of these Thermidorian tendencies in the Soviet Union that we have to view the so-called ‘Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution’ in China.