Following an insurrection by the Paris Commune on August 10, 1792, the Legislative Assembly suspended the powers of King Louis XVI and called for a new National Convention to draw up a new constitution. An election was held for all Frenchmen of 25 years or older by universal male suffrage. The National Convention was first brought into session on September 20, 1792. The first order of the body was to abolish the monarchy. It also established September 22 as the first day of the French Republic.

Following the National Convention, which established the French Constitution of 1795, 750 legislators were elected to two different councils: the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. Each house of the bicameral legislature had terms of three years. The Ancients were able to veto any legislation, which could only be initiated by the Five Hundred.

During the French Revolution, the radical phase known as the Reign of Terror came to and end with the Thermidorian Reaction. The Committee of Public Safety took a vote on executing Maximilien Robespierre, Antoine de Saint-Just and other leaders of the Jacobin Club. This event began on July 27, 1794, also known as 9 Thermidor Year II of the French Revolutionary Calendar. The National Convention was soon dissolved and the Executive Directory came to power.