The Girondins and the Road to War, 1792

In 1791–92 a group of deputies around Jacques-Pierre Brissot, many from the Gironde department and later called Girondins, argued for war against Austria. They believed a war would expose traitors, spread liberty to oppressed peoples and unite the nation. Surprisingly, the king and many court figures also wanted war, hoping that defeat would restore royal power. Robespierre, speaking at the Jacobin Club, warned that 'no one loves armed missionaries' and that war might bring military dictatorship.

On 20 April 1792 the Assembly declared war on the King of Bohemia and Hungary, meaning the Austrian Habsburg ruler, and Prussia soon joined Austria. Early campaigns went badly, as officers had emigrated and troops were disorganised. The war decision transformed the Revolution: it radicalised politics, heightened fears of betrayal, and set France on a path of conflict that would last, with brief pauses, until 1815.