La fin du renversement des alliances

Thomas Kaiser, Reversing the reversal of alliances : France, Austria, and the declaration of war ofapril 20, 1792 Since the age of Jaurès, the dominant tendency among French Revolutionary historians of all political complexions has been to attribute the war of 1792 against Austria almost exclusively to the political maneuvers of pro-war factions, especially the Brissotins. The purpose of this article is to show that pro-war factions were compelled to evoke a credible threat, to which the only plausible solution was war. The myth of an « Austrian plot » certainly inclined the French to doubt Austrian intentions. But as regards the émigrés, the princes possessionés in Alsace/Lorraine, and the royal family, the Austrians, too, played a crucial role in the genesis of the war, thanks to provocative words and deeds on their part indicating that the Revolution was in danger. If the war was brought about by opportunistic factions, diplomacy, too, had to provide its own deadly poison.

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