Preconditions for ‘terror’: the significance of external threat; the…

The idea

The Terror emerged from converging crises in 1793. External threat: Austria, Prussia and Britain pressed France, defeats and invasion fears bred panic and demands for severity. The Vendée revolt from March 1793 tied down troops and showed internal counter-revolution. Economic pressures: assignat depreciation, food shortages and price rises fuelled popular anger. Political pressures: the Girondin purge of 2 June 1793 removed moderate voices; the Federalist revolt in provinces such as Lyon and Bordeaux challenged Paris; Marat’s assassination on 13 July 1793 made him a martyr and hardened rhetoric. The sans-culottes and Paris Commune gave popular muscle, pushing the Convention towards emergency government. Together these pressures explain why repression escalated.

What earns the marks

• Explains how external threat from Austria, Prussia and Britain created fear of invasion and internal betrayal, justifying emergency measures.
• Analyses the Vendée revolt as a counter-revolutionary uprising that stretched military resources and provoked brutal reprisals.
• Assesses economic pressures such as assignat depreciation, food shortages and inflation as drivers of popular militancy.
• Evaluates the Girondin purge of 2 June 1793 as a political turning point that removed moderate opposition to the Jacobins.
• Examines the Federalist revolt as a provincial challenge to Parisian authority that intensified suspicion of dissent.
• Explains how Marat’s death on 13 July 1793 was used to justify further repression and martyrdom of the radical cause.
• Analyses the power of the sans-culottes and the Paris Commune in pressuring the Convention towards terror.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating the Terror as a single event rather than a process driven by multiple overlapping pressures.

  Put it right by linking each precondition to specific decisions or escalations.

• Assuming the Vendée revolt was only a peasant uprising.

  Put it right by recognising its royalist, religious and anti-conscription dimensions.

• Confusing the Girondin purge with the later purge of the Hébertists or Dantonists.

  Put it right by dating the Girondin purge to 2 June 1793 and distinguishing its victims.

• Overstating the sans-culottes as a unified revolutionary class.

  Put it right by noting their diversity and specific economic grievances.

Exam tips

• Use precise dates and names to anchor each precondition, such as 2 June 1793 for the Girondin purge and 13 July 1793 for Marat’s death.
• Link each precondition to a consequence for the Convention’s authority or the escalation of repression.
• When discussing the sans-culottes, refer to specific actions such as journées or pressure on the Convention rather than general statements.