Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793
| The Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June | |||||
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| Part of the French Revolution | |||||
 Hanriot confronts deputies of the Convention Pierre-Gabriel Berthault en 1804 |
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The Insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793 marks a significant milestone in the history of the French Revolution. The days of 31 May – 2 June (French: journées) resulted in the fall of the Girondin party under pressure of the Parisian sans-culottes, Jacobins of the clubs, and Montagnards in the National Convention. By its impact and importance, the insurrection of 31 May – 2 June stands as one of the three great popular insurrections of the French Revolution, following those of 14 July 1789 and 10 August 1792.
Since the election of the National Convention eight long months had been squandered in "scandalous" debates that discredited the national representative body. France was expecting its Constitution; what it got was civil war, invasion and crisis so deep that it was shaking the nation to its foundation. The Gironde remained solidly established in the state bureaucracy and the provinces. It was because of the Gironde that the Assembly tempered the rigor of measures that local authorities pretended not to know about. At no other moment—except perhaps in the autumn of 1792—did the government have less influence and authority. The difficulties and dangers of the situation in the spring of 1793 were apparent.
The economic situation was deteriorating rapidly, adding to the general unrest. By the end of the winter, grain circulation had stopped completely and grain prices doubled. Despite Saint-Just's advice, vast quantities of assignats were still being put in the circulation. In February 1793, they had fallen to 50 per cent of their face value. The depreciation provoked inflation and speculation.
Military setbacks from the First Coalition, Dumouriez's treason and the war of Vendée, which began in March 1793 aroused republican feeling and drove many republicans towards the montagnards. The Girondins were forced to accept the creation of the Committee of Public Safety and Revolutionary Tribunal.
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