Hello and welcome to a history of the United States. Episode 164, The French Revolution, Part 2.

Last time out, we started a quick overview of the French Revolution, as being aware of the

general course of events in France, will be a crucial backdrop to understanding what is happening

in America. We covered the origins of the revolution and took it through its early constitutional monarchy

phase and started to watch it become more extreme.

First, the Girondin faction took power, they established the National Convention,

declared France Republic, executed the King, and expanded

the Revolutionary Wars from being against Austria and Prussia to include Britain, the Dutch,

and Spain. Then the mountain faction seized control. Led by Maximilian Robespierre, they seized

the Committee of Public Safety, expelled the moderates from the convention,

and started executing Girondens. They launched a reign of terror, all while fighting a series

of massive rebellions that had broken out all over France. We closed by introducing a young

artillery officer into the narrative who was instrumental in the capture of Toulin

from the British. Napoleon Bonaparte. As 1764 progressed, the French Revolution

continued to eat its own children. A rift had opened in the Committee of Public Safety

between George D'Anton and Maximilian Robespierre.

Danton favoured winding down the reign of terror, while Robespierre wanted it to continue.

Eventually, Robespierre finally turned on Dantan, and Dantan was arrested on March 30th.

He was convicted and guillotined on April 5th. The reign of terror ramped up in June,

with the law of 22 Prairieal. More people were sentenced to death in the two months following

this than the previous 14 months combined. The war was going well. The French captured

Brussels from the Austrians.

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