Revolutionary France's War of Conquest in the Rhineland (Cambridge Military Histories)
Cambridge University Press, 2/7/2019
EAN 9781108497459, ISBN10: 1108497454
Hardcover, 368 pages, 23.4 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm
Language: English
In May 1790, the French National Assembly renounced wars of conquest. Two years later, France declared war on Austria and invaded Belgium and the Rhineland, claiming it was to spread the benefits of the Revolution. Soon, however, military and economic crises drove a shift in the nature of France's war effort. What started as a war for liberty became a war for conquest, one that brought devastating exploitation to the Rhineland. It was during this time that French foreign policy became influenced by the idea of attaining the natural frontiers - the Alps, the Pyrenees, and, most significantly, the Rhine. Although often portrayed as a diplomatic tradition of the French monarchy, Jordan R. Hayworth shows how the natural frontiers policy was born during the Revolution. In addition, he examines the intense and consequential debates that arose over the policy, which caused much confusion in the war and helped to undermine France's democratic experiment.
1. The Ancien Régime
2. The Brissotin crusade for war
3. War, conquest, and disaster
4. The organization of victory
5. The Thermidorean republic
6. The Directory's war
7. A shattered army
8. The generals' war
Conclusion.