Plain, the, in French history, term designating the independent members of the National Convention during the French Revolution . The name was applied to them because, in contrast to the radical Mountain , they occupied the lower benches of the chamber. The Plain was a leaderless mass and a pliable instrument, but it was numerically in the majority and consequently determined many votes. It played an important role in bringing about the overthrow (9 Thermidor; July 27, 1794) of Maximilien Robespierre , but after this effort it again lost its cohesion.
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