ABSTRACT
Opposition to the British government's war against revolutionary France fluctuated, as different groups at different times found it in their interests to be counted part of it or not. The conflict was actively opposed in a consistent way for three main reasons: party politics, support for the French Revolution and pacifism. While the conservative Opposition Whigs were attempting to persuade Fox of the dangers of the French Revolution, the younger members of the party were trying to gain his sanction for their support for its principles. War against France was grossly unpalatable to these Whigs, and they declared that it was both unnecessary and undesirable, defending the revolutionaries' international activities against government and loyalist charges. Besides disputing the legitimacy of the war, Opposition Whig MPs and writers also found fault with the government's handling of the conflict and they called frequently for peace to be negotiated with the French Republic.
