In order to ensure the longevity and success of the French Revolution, more radial participants were willing to take drastic actions, such as storming the Royal residences in Paris and placing King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette under arrest for crimes against the people of France and acts of high treason. These arrests culminated in the execution of the monarchy and total chaos among those who supported the Revolution.
To secure their hold on power, radical revolutionaries under the leadership of the Jacobins instituted wide-sweeping reforms including the Reign of Terror, the bloodiest period of the French Revolution.
All of these things were done in the name of protecting the Revolution from anyone who might oppose it.
