To understand why the French Revolution led to war between France on the one side and Prussia and Austria on the other in 1792, one should briefly recall the essence of this revolution. In European countries of the eighteenth century, the monarchy was the predominant form of government. However, France was the first to follow the American example in an attempt to eliminate the monarchy and establish the republic instead. This was the goal of the French Revolution, which began in 1789.
At the beginning of the French Revolution, nothing indicated that there would be a war between France and Europe. European monarchies believed that France was pacifist, and its occupation with its internal problems would leave the field “open for their intrigues” (Hazen, 2017, p. 97). However, soon, they saw a menace in the principles of sovereignty and equality proclaimed by the French people and feared that their subjects, who were enthusiastic about the French successes, would revolt as well (Hazen, 2017). The situation was aggravated by the French revolutionists’ interest in spreading their ideas beyond the French borders (Hazen, 2017). Additionally, France suspected that French nobles, who fled the country, established their counterrevolutionary stronghold in Europe and posed a threat to the success of the French Revolution. Consequently, these tensions led to warlike sentiments in both France and European monarchies. In April 1792, France declared war on Austria and Prussia. The war was supported even by the advocates of monarchy, who believed that, after the war, they could restore the previous political regime.
The war led to the more radical phase of the revolution because the French revolutionists wanted to eliminate all enemies of the Revolution, both domestic and foreign ones. The radicalization began with the arrest of the French king, Louis XVI, and the royal family on August 10, 1792. The arrest occurred after the Duke of Brunswick issued a manifesto, in which he demanded that the French restore the French king to complete liberty (Hazen, 2017). The manifesto made the French people believe that Louis XVI was an accomplice of the enemies of France. Other real and suspected traitors were also thrown into prison and then killed during the September Massacres of 1792. The further period between 1793 and 1794 was known as the Reign of Terror. It began when the Jacobins seized control over the French government and were marked by many executions of actual and suspected counterrevolutionaries.
Reference
Hazen, C. D. (2017). The French Revolution and Napoleon. Arcadia Press.