The Somewhat Organized Violence of Revolutionary Paris, 1789–1792

The French Revolution’s first three years were marked by fighting between different armed groups in a fluid field of violence among armed state, nonstate, and quasi-state actors. The forces of order were less organized than their titles would indicate, while opposition forces were better organized and trained than they portrayed themselves to be. Paris was a military theatre where victory was determined by the opposition’s ability to attract both armed fighters and widespread popular support, though a government that was unpopular with the population of Paris but that had the support of the city’s military could continue to rule. Governments fell when they lost control of military forces.