This is Part 3 of a 3-Part series. In Part 1 & Part 2, we covered why and how French Revolution happened.
After France became a French Republic, aristocrats and clergy members were tried for treason and sent to jails in big numbers.
In the meantime, French enemies (Austria & Prussia) were closing in on borders of France and the French troops were sent to the front lines.
With forces on the border, the internal intelligence was weak and it was suspected that the aristocrats and others in jail were planning a revolution against the new established republic.
The leaders feared that if enemies reached Paris, they would free aristocrats and clergymen and the king will be back in power; so the mob raided prisons and killed over 1600 aristocrats, clergymen and families.
The leaders also decided to execute the king as his death would eliminate any possibility of him taking over, if the enemies won.
On the border, French troops pushed back enemies but then other European countries also joined Austria and Prussia.
France needed a big military and it was decided to make it mandatory for a certain number of men from all regions to join the military.
People were unhappy as not all had wanted what was happening; the revolt had been a ‘Paris thing’ and this was unnecessary atrocity to them.
Some of these regions, especially ones on the borders revolted against the republic; one region on the south border, Toulon (an important naval base), let British army in.
French Republic sent a new captain Napoleon Bonaparte to take Toulon back; Napoleon succeeded and was promoted.
The increasing infightings brought the differences between moderates and radicals back again but this time radicals took charge and moderates were sent to jail or executed.
An environment of suspicion developed, everyone was seen as conspiring against the ‘radical’ republic and spies were everywhere.
But this model of governance was not sustainable; after close to 100,000 executions (by chopping-off heads) of people who were ‘believed’ to be against the republic, the wave turned against the radicals and many radicals got executed.
Moderates were back in power by 1795 and now that people were not scared of being executed, some of them started rioting, demanding power be restored in hands of a new king; Napoleon took control and shot dead many protestors.
Napoleon was promoted yet again as General, who then led the wars on the border with many European countries and won most of them.
He became a hero with French people but had bigger plans for him; since people were frustrated with the government, he staged a coup and took control of France as a dictator.
