Name__________________________________ Period_____ Date_____________ Global 10 Pre-IB Newman AIM: How did the rise of radicalism change the course of the French Revolution? The Reign of Terror Comes to an End The first three years of the French Revolution were free of war. That changed in April 1792 when Girondin deputies instigated a revolutionary war with France’s neighbour Austria. Some claimed this war was necessary to ‘save the revolution’ from external threats; others hoped to ‘export’ the revolution and challenge absolutist monarchies elsewhere in Europe. Whatever their motives, the French Revolutionary Wars would have a profound effect on the new society. They would shape the course of European history, these wars rolling one into the other and lasting for a decade (more than two decades if one counts the Napoleonic Wars that followed). At various times, the French Revolutionary Wars involved almost every significant European power: Britain, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Holland, Russia, the Italian states and others. Over the course of the Revolution, conflict existed within France as well. Members of the Third Estate were pitted against the elitist nobles and clergy members who feared for their lives as the underclass rose up and took revenge. There were even divisions within the Third Estate. Some revolutionaries called for swift radical change and a complete demolition of the Old Regime, even if it meant using violence to achieve these means. Other revolutionaries assumed a more moderate approach, calling for gradual changes in society. Robespierre’s Reign of Terror (1793-1794) further divided the French people as the Committee of Public Safety executed tens of thousands of French people deemed “enemies of the Revolution”. Robespierre feared that he was losing supporters and in turn, he sought to remove anyone deemed disloyal to the Revolution. Unfortunately for Robespierre, the French people eventually rose up and put a stop to the terror. On July 27, 1794, Robespierre and his allies were placed under arrest by the National Assembly. Armed supporters arrived to aid him, but he refused to lead a new insurrection. When he received word that the National Convention had declared him an outlaw, he shot himself in the head but only succeeded in wounding his jaw. Shortly thereafter, troops of the National Convention attacked the Hotel de Ville and seized Robespierre and his allies. The next evening–July 28–Robespierre and 21 others were guillotined without a trial. During the next few days, another 82 Robespierre followers were executed. The Reign of Terror had come to an end. Adapted from: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/robespierre-overthrown-in-france 1) Why did France fight wars with other European nations during the course of the French Revolution?