Revolutionary France's War of Conquest in the Rhineland
Conquering the Natural Frontier, 1792-1797

Shows how revolutionary France's war for liberty in the Rhineland was transformed into a war for conquest.

Jordan R. Hayworth (Author)

9781108703055, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 March 2021

360 pages, 1 map
22.9 x 15.1 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

'The level of detail in this book is impressive, as is the source base upon which it is constructed … A painstaking and close reading of sources is essential in revealing the importance of contingent factors in shaping developments, and for this Hayworth deserves plaudits.' Michael Rowe, International Journal of Military History and Historiography

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.

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW]