Internal and external war: the spread of war; the rising in the Vendée; attempts to establish wartime control; Robespierre; the fall of the Girondins and the Federalist revolt
By 1793, France faced war against most of Europe and a violent rebellion at home. These twin crises destroyed the moderate Girondin faction and handed power to Robespierre and the radical Jacobins.
Real World
The Vendée uprising of 1793 — where Catholic peasants resisted conscription and Revolution — mirrors later counter-insurgencies such as the Spanish guerrilla war against Napoleon, showing how rural communities with strong religious identities can sustain prolonged resistance against centralising revolutionary states.
Exam Focus
Link internal and external war explicitly: show how foreign invasion created the emergency that the Jacobins used to justify purging the Girondins — cause and consequence in one move.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
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