Chapter 10 - Internal And External War Flashcards
What had the French army gained between Sept and Jan of 1792?
Successful in Austrian Netherlands
Savoy
Nice
What inspired the advance of French armies?
Revolutionary idealism
Need for money
How did Danton try to justify the war effort?
The French doctrine of ‘natural frontiers’
(Pyrenees, Alps + Rhine should form the borders)
Why was this a controversial demand?
They were crucial for trade especially with Great Britain and the United Provinces
Why did Britain begin military preparations and expel the French ambassador?
Didn’t agree with Louis’ execution
Who entered into the anti-French coalition?
Britain
Portugal
Spain
When did France declare war on Britain and the United Provinces?
1 February 1793
When was war declared in Spain and Portugal?
The March
What was the name of the war the 6 were fighting in?
War of the First Coalition
How did France suffer in it?
Troops driven out of Austrian Netherlands
British, Austrian + Spanish troops mounted attacks into France
What hindered their military efforts?
Internal revolts in the west and south of France
What happened Feb 1792?
Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Frederick-William II of Prussia sign a treaty of alliance
What happened Mar 1792?
Francis II becomes new Holy Roman Emperor
France sends an ultimatum to Austria to disperse émigrés
What happened Apr 1792?
France declares war on Austria (who allies with Prussia)
War of the First Coalition begins
France invades Austrian Netherlands with two troops (both then retreat)
What happened Jul 1792?
Fear of enemy troops produces the decree La patrie en danger
Lafayette takes over Army of the North
Brunswick manifesto announced
What happens Aug 1792?
Lafayette defects
Dumouriez commands army of the North
Prussians take Longwy
What happened Sept 1792?
Prussians take Verdun
French have victory at Battle of Valmy
What happened Oct 1792?
A general called Custine takes Worms, Mainz + Frankfurt
Prussians retreat from Verdun and Longwy
What happened Nov 1792?
Dumouriez has victory at Jemappes
Edict of Fraternity issued
French take Brussels, Ostend, Mechelen, Liège, Antwerp + Namur
French declare annexation of Savoy
What happened Dec 1792?
French take Aachen
What happened Feb 1793?
France declares war on Britain + United Provinces
Rebellion in Vendee
What happened Mar 1793?
An Austrian counter-offensive begins and defeats the french at Neerwindenand Louvain
French evacuate Aachen
Spain declares war on France
France annexes territory on the Rhine
What happened Apr 1793?
Dumouriez defects to Austrians
The Austrians besiege the ‘Republic of Mainz’
What happened May 1793?
French besieged at Valenciennes
Uprisings in Lyons and other cities
What happened Jun 1793?
British blockade of ports begins
What happened Jul 1793?
Siege of Mainz ends with French withdrawal
Valenciennes is captured and occupied by Anglo-Austrian troops
Where was the Vendée?
Central-west France
What was the area like?
Rural
Conservative
Strongly Catholic
Why was it an ideal breeding ground for rebellion?
Religious resentments strong
Sale of church lands brought new bourgeoisie land-owners that raised rent
In inflation and disrupted food supplies peasants were worse off than they had been in the AR
How did the uprising begin?
A protest against the levy for 300,000 men carried out in Angers in Mar 1793
What happened on 14 Mar?
A ‘Catholic and Royal Army of the Vendée’ was formed
They seized Cholet (a major city)
What else happened throughout the countryside?
Massacres of local officials, jurying priests + NG
Guerrilla warfare spread through the countryside
How many men did the convention send to attempt to control the rebellion?
30,000
By June what had the rebels seized?
Bridges over the Loire
Angers + Saumur
What was also spreading in June?
Federalist revolts
What did the convention decree the destruction of?
The Vendée
How big was the army that arrived at Nantes on 6 Sept?
100,000
When had the Vendéean army been destroyed by?
December
In 1793 who attempted to solve the external and internal problems?
Robespierre
Why did he put in place some measures?
To win wars
Reassure Parisian sc
What happened in Oct 1792?
Committee of General Security (CGS) established to take responsibility for policing and justice
It had to report to the National Convention
What happened Feb 1793?
300,000 to be drafted
Voluntarily if possible but ballot if necessary
What happened Mar 1793?
Représentants-en-mission appointed to work in pairs in France to ensure loyalty and effective functioning of the départements
They could arrest anyone considered a suspect
Ensure food supplies
Supervise levies
Had to ensure loyalty of troops and generals (after the defected Lafayette and Dumouriez)
Who did the représentants-en-missions have to report to?
CPS +NC
What was established to try counter-revolutionaries?
A revolutionary tribunal
Who made up the revolutionary tribunal?
5 judges
Public prosecutor
Two assistants
Jury men elected by NC
What new law was decreed 19 march 1793?
Rebels bearing arms could be executed without appeal within 24 hours
What was established to look out for suspicious behaviour?
Comités de surveillance
Who did they look out for in particular?
Foreigners
People who were involved in riots
What did members of the comités de surveillance do if they suspected someone?
Hand their suspect over to tribunals and the suspect would be put to death if found guilty
Members couldn’t be former church men or nobles
What was set up in Apr 1793?
The Committee of Public Safety (CPS)
What was the responsibility of the CPS?
Conduct of war
Diplomacy
Supplies
Control of the army
Application of rev laws
Who did the CPS have authority over?
CGS
Other ministers and govt agencies
What was the CPS made up of?
Nine men
Elected monthly by NC
Meetings ‘closed’ to outsiders
Reported weekly to NC
Why did the sc become increasing militant?
War went badly
Prices rose
What decrees did the NC block?
Price controls on basic goods
Why were there disturbances in Paris in February and March?
Enragés encouraged fighting over the price of commodities like bread, soap, sugar and coffee
Who are the enragés?
Campaigned against anyone profiting from high food prices
What did the assignats bring?
Inflation
What did the average food price rise by from 1791 -1793?
90%
Why did Robespierre initially show little sympathy for the food rioters but then support them?
The political advantage gained from supporting the rioters discredits his Girodin rivals
What inspired a series of attacks on the Girodin printing presses?
Marats articles blaming the Girodin for France’s problems
On what grounds were Marats indictment to be arrested?
Inciting murder
Pillage
Attacking the authority of the convention
How many days later was he acquitted?
12
Who used the occasion to portray the Girodins as enemies of liberty and the republic?
George Danton
What happened on 3 May?
8000 sc demonstrators surrounded the convention demanding price controls on bread
What did this enable Robespierre to do?
Win the vote to establish the first price controls on wheat and flour
Why did the Girodins oppose?
They said that food supplies would soon increase and prices fall
What alliance was then formed?
Jacobin/Montagnards and sc
What are the price controls of May 1793 sometimes referred to?
The First Law of General Maximum
On 26 May what did Robespierre call for?
A rising against the ‘corrupt deputies’ in the Convention
What happened between 31 May and 2 Jun?
Thousands of sc from the sections with NGs beseiged the convention demanding the Girondins be expelled
How big was the crowd on the 2 Jun?
80,000 - 100,000
What happened to people if they tried to leave?
They were prevented until they had given support to Robespierre’s motion that 29 Girondin deputies be expelled from the convention and put under house arrest
Who won that day?
‘The Mountain’ although they had to submit to the sc
What was the Federalist Revolt?
A revolt in the départments where Girondin support was strongest
In what cities were Jacobin leaders expelled out of their offices?
Lyons
Avignon
Bordeaux
Caen
Marseilles
Toulon
What were the revolts labelled by the Jacobins as?
Counter revolutionary
What was it a strong reaction to?
Strong centralising control of the Jacobins in Paris
What did the Federalist Revolt pose a threat to?
A real civil war
What did the revolt merge into in Toulon?
A royalist reaction
What did the city appeal for?
Help from the Anglo-Spanish fleet
Who took Toulon in December?
Napoleon Bonaparte
Who were sent to force cities back into line?
Représentants-en-mission
What did the Montagnards produce on 24 Jun?
New constitution
What was it the result of the work of?
The constitutional committee
Also linked to a new modified version of the ‘Decleration of Rights’
It established an ‘Executive Council’ to replace king + ministers
Why was it never put into practice?
The wartime situation
What did it decree?
- All adult males (including foreigners) had the right to vote
- Every man had the right to express himself through direct political action
-Everyone was entitled to public assistance (the state must give people work, or people unable ‘the means of sustenance’)
What was it aggressively?
An egalitarian constitution that stressed ‘society’ was more important than the individual
Where did they say it should be engraved so people were reminded of their rights?
On tablets in public places
