TLDR;

  • Event: On June 2, 1793, the Girondins were ousted from the National Convention by the Montagnards, marking a pivotal moment in the French Revolution.
  • Key Figures: François Hanriot’s threat with artillery forced the Convention’s hand, leading to the arrest or flight of Girondin leaders like Jacques-Pierre Brissot and Jean-Marie Roland.
  • Aftermath: The purge sparked federalist revolts in regions like Bordeaux and Lyon, challenging the Montagnards’ authority and contributing to the radicalization of the Revolution.
  • Impact: The fall of the Girondins accelerated the Reign of Terror, centralizing power under the Committee of Public Safety and deepening the Revolution’s radical phase.

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Story

The air in Paris crackled with tension as the sun rose on June 2, 1793. The streets were alive with the fervor of revolution, and the city was a cauldron of political intrigue and unrest. The National Convention, the heart of revolutionary France, was about to witness a seismic shift that would alter the course of the Revolution.

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The French Revolution was in full swing, and the National Convention was divided. On one side stood the Girondins, advocates of a more moderate approach to governance. On the other, the Montagnards, radical revolutionaries who believed in the power of the people and the necessity of drastic measures. The tension between these factions had been simmering for months, and it was about to boil over.

The insurrection began on May 31, as the Montagnards, supported by the Paris Commune and the sans-culottes, mobilized against the Girondins. By June 2, the Convention was surrounded by armed Parisians demanding the arrest of the Girondin leaders. The decisive confrontation occurred when François Hanriot, commander of the National Guard, threatened to bombard the Convention with artillery, forcing the deputies to comply. This coercive act underscored the event’s violent nature.

Not all Girondin leaders were arrested immediately. Some, like Jean-Marie Roland and Marguerite-Élie Guadet, fled Paris and later organized federalist revolts against the Montagnard-dominated Convention. Others, like Jacques-Pierre Brissot, were arrested and later executed during the Reign of Terror.

The fall of the Girondins marked the rise of the Montagnards, but it was not an uncontested shift. The purge led to federalist revolts in provinces like Bordeaux and Lyon, showing that their removal was not universally accepted. While the Committee of Public Safety had already begun centralizing power before the Girondins’ fall, their expulsion accelerated the radicalization, intensifying the Reign of Terror, which was also a response to external pressures and internal rebellions.

As the dust settled, the Montagnards took control, steering the Revolution into uncharted waters. The fall of the Girondins was a stark reminder of the volatile nature of revolutionary politics, where alliances could shift overnight, and power was as fleeting as the Parisian breeze.

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Would a different approach by the Girondins have changed the course of the French Revolution?