Editing French Revolution (section)

=== Political crisis and fall of the Girondins ===

The Girondins hoped war would unite the people behind the government and provide an excuse for rising prices and food shortages, but they found themselves the target of popular anger. Many left for the provinces. The first conscription measure or ''[[levée en masse]]'' on 24 February sparked riots in Paris and other regional centres. Already unsettled by changes imposed on the church, in March the traditionally conservative and royalist [[Vendée]] rose in revolt. On 18th, General [[Charles François Dumouriez]] was [[Battle of Neerwinden (1793)|defeated at Neerwinden]] and defected to the Austrians. Uprisings followed in [[Bordeaux]], [[Lyon]], [[Toulon]], [[Marseille]] and [[Caen]]. The Republic seemed on the verge of collapse.{{Sfn|Shusterman|2013|pp=143–173}}

The crisis led to the creation on 6 April 1793 of the [[Committee of Public Safety]], an executive committee accountable to the convention.{{Sfn|Shusterman|2013|pp=271–312}} The Girondins made a fatal political error by indicting Marat before the [[Revolutionary Tribunal]] for allegedly directing the September massacres; he was quickly acquitted, further isolating the Girondins from the ''sans-culottes''. When [[Jacques Hébert]] called for a popular revolt against the "henchmen of Louis Capet" on 24 May, he was arrested by the [[Commission of Twelve]], a Girondin-dominated tribunal set up to expose 'plots'. In response to protests by the Commune, the Commission warned "if by your incessant rebellions something befalls the representatives of the nation, Paris will be obliterated".{{Sfn|Shusterman|2013|pp=143–173}}

[[File:Jacques-Louis David - La Mort de Marat.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|''[[The Death of Marat]]'' by [[Jacques-Louis David]] (1793)]]

Growing discontent allowed the clubs to mobilise against the Girondins. Backed by the Commune and elements of the National Guard, on 31 May they [[Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793|attempted to seize power in a coup]]. Although the coup failed, on 2 June the convention was surrounded by a crowd of up to 80,000, demanding cheap bread, unemployment pay and political reforms, including restriction of the vote to the ''sans-culottes'', and the right to remove deputies at will.{{Sfn|Schama|1989|p=724}} Ten members of the commission and another twenty-nine members of the Girondin faction were arrested, and on 10 June, the Montagnards took over the Committee of Public Safety.{{Sfn|Schama|1989|pp=725–726}}

Meanwhile, a committee led by Robespierre's close ally [[Louis Antoine de Saint-Just]] was tasked with preparing [[French Constitution of 1793|a new constitution]]. Completed in only eight days, it was ratified by the convention on 24 June and contained radical reforms, including [[universal male suffrage]]. However, normal legal processes were suspended following the assassination of Marat on 13 July by the Girondist [[Charlotte Corday]], which the Committee of Public Safety used as an excuse to take control. The 1793 Constitution was suspended indefinitely in October.{{Sfn|Kennedy|2000|p=53}}

Key areas of focus for the new government included creating a new state ideology, economic regulation and winning the war.{{Sfn|Schama|1989|p=756}} They were helped by divisions among their internal opponents; while areas like the Vendée and [[Brittany]] wanted to restore the monarchy, most supported the Republic but opposed the regime in Paris. On 17 August, the Convention voted a second ''levée en masse''; despite initial problems in equipping and supplying such large numbers, by mid-October Republican forces had re-taken Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux, while defeating Coalition armies at [[Battle of Hondschoote|Hondschoote]] and [[Battle of Wattignies|Wattignies]].{{Sfn|Schama|1989|p=766}} The new class of military leaders included a young colonel named [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], who was appointed commander of artillery at the [[Siege of Toulon (1793)|siege of Toulon]] thanks to his friendship with [[Augustin Robespierre]]. His success in that role resulted in promotion to the [[Army of Italy (France)|Army of Italy]] in April 1794, and the beginning of his rise to military and political power.{{Sfn|McLynn|1997|p=76}}