War and Revolution
Why go to War?
Person Reason
King and
MarieAntoinette
Lafayette
Brissotin
Brissot
Robespierre
Hoped France would be defeated and end the Revolution enabling
Louis to recover his old power
Wanted failure of the Revolution to produce political stability and
authority of the King to be strengthened. It would also increase his
prestige as a General enabling him to dictate his own terms to the
King and the Assembly
War would force the King to come out in the open about his
acceptance of the Constitution and would also expose traitors and
those who were opposed to the Revolution.
Would rouse enthusiasm for the Revolution and show the permanence
of the new regime and also transport the Revolution
Wanted a war in France and not outside. ‘’The Tree of Liberty is
watered with blood’’; meaning if you want to keep the Revolution you
will fight for it. The worst enemies of the Revolution are inside France
e.g. Priests and Ministers. He believed that these anti-revolutionaries
within France needed to be disposed of.
Declaration of Pillnitz
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The Declaration was issued by the Austrians in
August 1791
They saw the Revolution as a disease which needed to
be stopped.
Stated that the Great powers of Europe should join
together and stop it.
Wasn’t a Declaration of War, just a statement of
intent.
However France took it as a sign of Declaration of
War.
Relationship of Revolution and
War
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France believed that if they went to war it would take
pressure out of France and also transport the Revolution.
The great powers of Europe saw the Revolution working to
their advantage, as it reduced French power and influence.
After the Flight to Varennes the Austrians felt they had to
support Louis. So they issued the Declaration of Pillnitz
Revolutionary Tribunals
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The Revolutionary Tribunals were set up on March 10th
Made to preserve the Revolution by trying counterrevolutionary suspects
1-6 months they tried to save the revolution as it was
collapsing.
Organisation- leveé en masse
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Was introduced in August 1792 by Bertrand
Barére
The idea of this is that every French man was a
soldier and a defender of the nation
It was introduced because more soldiers were
needed
Barére wanted to mobilise France entirely for
War.
It conscripted nearly 1/2 million unmarried men
aged 18-25
All troops were fed, armed and trained
Conscription
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Committee of public safety organised the war
 Government ordered a levy of 30 000 troops in Feb 1793
 Marseilles had 3500 men conscripted
 Bordeaux had 400 men conscripted
 A surge of patriotism brought volunteers from all over
France
 Young men married to avoid conscription
 The traditional recruiting areas were north and east of
France but conscription brought men from the south and
west.
 On the 11th of July a decree called every French men to
fight it was called ‘La patrie en danger’
Artillery
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Factories were set up to make arms and ammunition
Church bells were melted down for cannons
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Religious metals were melted down for coinage
Representatives-on-mission
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Representatives-on-mission were political representatives
from the Convention.
 They were sent to provinces
 They were introduced because of resistance to conscription
and suspicion of generals.
 They had almost unlimited powers over the armies.
 The deputies of the Convention were mainly Montagnards,
whose job was to speed up Conscription and keep an eye
on the generals.
 They could also arrest generals
 Military defeat, or failure to follow up a victory was now a
political crime: 17 generals were executed in 1793 and 67
in 1794.
Military failures
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1st Sep 1792 the fall of fortress at Verdun which was a
large military base
 March 1793 Dumouriez was defeated by Austrians at
Neerwinden
 Summer 1793 the war against allies was still going badly
and Austrians pushed into France
 French lost Belgium and the left bank of the Rhine
 Advance on Austrian Netherlands where troops panicked
and retreated killing their commanders
Military successes
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June 26th Austrians were defeated at Fleures and Belgium
was recaptured
September 20th Brunswick army was defeated and the
Prussians were forced to withdraw at Valmy
End of Sep Spanish armies were driven out of Roussillon
and Piedmontese out of Savoy. The British army were
defeated at Handschoote
End of Nov Austrians were expelled from French land