6. The National Assembly Disintegrated
While the long awaited provisions were finally initiated on September 30, 1791, France’s National Assembly was brought down to be replaced by a new political unit called the Legislative Assembly. Though France still had some sort of control in office, however, the agreement to not instate any members of the previous assembly into the new parliament resulted in a faction of members with no valuable political experience.
5. The Onset of War Began
Whether or not to instigate war was the highest priority during debates in the new Legislative Assembly. After all, France’s call for revolution made tensions rise in other surrounding countries, and was regarded as both fearsome and hostile by other European monarchies.
But within the borders of France, the support for war was indeed growing as well. King Louis XVI and hardcore monarchists were in favor of war, believing that foreign armies could easily overthrow the new assembly. Meanwhile, the revolutionaries themselves were angling for it too, hoping to unify the nation and spread the ideas of the revolution to the rest of Europe. Therefore, on April 20, 1792, France set everything in motion, declaring war on Austria.
4. The Royal Family Were Once Again Attacked at Tuileries Palace
By summer of 1792, the French government was faced with the invading Austrian army and its Prussian allies. Things remained in upheaval in France as well, since the King was viewed as a traitor and the Legislative Assembly was still divided into too many political ideologies.
On August 10, 20,000 people descended upon the Tuileries Palace. While the King and Queen had escaped to the Legislative Assembly for help, they merely decided to place them under arrest. The Revolution was becoming more radicalized and hundreds of suspected royalists were murdered in what became known as the “September Massacre”. Overall, the majority of the French people were simply running for their lives.