To understand why the terror occurred, you have to delve deeper into the events that preceded the Terror and added to the fear of internal enemies.
The Terror was initiated in an attempt of the National Convention to quell the counter-revolutionary movement occurring particularly in the Vendee region (who started opposing the revolution after the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and the Levee en Masse) and in Bourdeaux, Marsailles and Lyons (who were angered at the International War blocking trade, and the expulsion of the Girondins from the NC).
The Parisian sans-culottes, fearing that as the Austro-Prussian force was coming closer to the city, and as more people were signing up to the army, that Paris would be left undefended and those locked up in the Abbaye (the prison) would break out and side with the Austrians and Prussians, so orators such as Marat called upon the sans-culottes to go to the Abbaye (prison) and kill the counter-revolutionaries. This resulted in the September Massacres, which the government did not condone, however they did not want to rely on the sans-culottes as a political force, and did not want the sans-culottes to have influence over government affairs.
Thus, the Terror is characterised as state controlled violence. Unlike many of the journees undertaken by the sans-culottes, it was very organised. Institutions like the Representatives-on-Mission, the Revolutionary Tribunal, and the Law of Frimare, the Law of Suspects and the Law of 22 Prairial were created to deal with the counter-revolutionary movement.
In essence, it was created in response to the counter-revolutionary movement in order to protect the revolution through organised, state-controlled violence.
Hope this helps!
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