Mountain Convention

In France, the mountain Convention , June 2nd 1793 at Thermidor 9 year II (July 27th 1794), is the second period of the history of the national Convention dominated by the Montagnards after the ousting of the Girondins.

In spite of the proclamation of a very democratic Constitution (Constitution of year I, 1793), the mountain deputies, under the pressure of dramatic circumstances - federalistic Insurrections, War of the Vendée, failures military, aggravation of the economic situation - decided to found a true revolutionary dictatorship exerted in reality by the Comité of public hello and the Comité of general security.

The Terreur was reinforced, of the interventionists economic measures were decided in order to stop the crisis (law on the monopolization, Loi of the general maximum, price control of the grains). The levy in masse, the mobilization of all energies in favor of a true saving in war (the research of salpetre for the powder, the mobilization of the scientists, the replacement of the generals inefficient, treacherous or recalcitrant to adopt the offensive strategy of the Comité of public hello, replaced by young officers resulting from the rows and clearly republicans, among which Notch, Jourdan, Marceau, but also Pichegru or Bonaparte) ensured of the decisive victories the republicans. But the dissensions between the Mountain dwellers were not long in appearing.

After having tried a policy of balance between the factions, the Committee of public Hello, dominated by the figure of Maximilien de Robespierre, very popular among the people, decided the elimination of the Hébertistes (ultra-revolutionary), then Indulgents (moderate directed by Georges Danton), which threatened the revolutionary government. Taking again little by little the control of the country, after the anarchy which had prevailed at the time of the civil war of 1793 and had supported the development of an uncontrolled violence, the revolutionary government tried to sit the Republic by founding a class of small holders (law on the division of communal, decrees of ventôse…) and a republican morals (civil institutions, projects of education of the people).

However, the lassitude of the moderate deputies of Convention eager to give up the revolutionary dictatorship and Terror to return to a constitutional mode and a liberal economic policy (the victory of Fleurus drawing aside the threat of an invasion of France and not justifying more, in their eyes, the maintenance of Terror) and the conflict between the Committee of general security and the Committee of Public Hello brought the falls of Maximilien de Robespierre and its friends the Thermidor 9 year II (July 27th 1794)

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