The Battle of Cholet. 1794

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War against the oppressive ancien régime, that was the battle cry of the French Revolution; wars against foreign enemies were to be expected and were fought out of patriotism; but civil war, grounded in differences of principle, required taking a moral position. The revolt in the Vendée undermined the very concept of Revolution, for if the people were fighting the Revolution, restoring power to the enemies of the Revolution, what was the Revolution all about? This program looks at the issues underlying the revolt in the Vendée, the brutal manner in which it was put down, and the lessons France learned from this most vicious and unforgiving of civil wars.