The party of Order provoked the Mountain immediately upon the convening
of the assembly. The bourgeoisie now felt the necessity of disposing
of the democratic small traders' class, just as a year before it
had understood the necessity of putting an end to the revolutionary
proletariat.
But the position of the foe had changed. The strength of the proletarian
party was on the streets; that of the small traders' class was in the
National Assembly itself. The point was, accordingly, to wheedle them
out of the National Assembly into the street, and to have them break
their parliamentary power themselves, before time and opportunity could
consolidate them. The Mountain jumped with loose reins into the trap.
The bombardment of Rome by the French troops was the bait thrown at the
Mountain. It violated Article V. of the Constitution, which forbade
the French republic to use its forces against the liberties of other
nations; besides, Article IV. forbade all declaration of war by the
Executive without the consent of the National Assembly; furthermore,
the constitutive assembly had censured the Roman expedition by its
resolution of May 8.
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