ABSTRACT
Britain did not go to war to stamp out the evils of a French Revolution which threatened to destroy the old political world. The Revolution was initially welcomed by most of the political classes. Pittites tended to view it more pragmatically. The Revolution would be an important distraction for Britain’s greatest rival. Desultory negotiations between Britain and France took place in November and December 1792. Urgent preparations for war were finally put in train. News of the execution of Louis XVI on 21 January 1793 inflamed anti-radical passions in Britain. Britain’s attempt to defeat revolutionary France in the 1790s rested on three strategic pillars: supporting European allies, with cash and troops, in direct attacks on France; using the navy to pick off French colonies, especially in the Caribbean, thus weakening its commercial base; and offering practical aid and other forms of support to opponents of the Revolution within France.
