The French Revolutionary Wars, 1787-1802

The Revolutionary wars brought France hegemony in Europe but at a terrible cost. Inside the country, the war brought the end of pluralism, the destruction of the monarchy, civil war and the Terror, paving the way for military dictatorship and burdening the country with an enduring legacy of political instability. This interaction between events at the front and at home is discussed in full. Special attention is also given to the devastation inflicted by the Revolutionary armies as they rampaged across the continent, together with the nationalist resistance movements they provoked.