Vendée, 1793, peasants first support the Revolution but when French Republic forbids freedom of religious worship and introduces conscription to go fight against Europe, they quickly turn against it.
In Vendée, the revolt is organized into the so-called Catholic and Royal Army but at the end of 1793 it is put down.
Republic trembled and is now going to avenge with no mercy. Under the Committee of Public Safety rules, slaughters will multiply. Dozens of thousands of prisoners are tortured, rapped, shot or drowned... The army hunts down Vendeans, including women, children and elders, to eliminate them methodically.
In 1986, young historian Reynald Secher publishes a thesis where he describes the slaughters from the Republican Army in Vendée and names them as genocide. This is the end of a 200 year taboo.
In this documentary broadcast in France 3 on March 7th 2012, Franck Ferrand recalls this silenced part of French national history.
Bibliography :
- La Vendée-Vengé, Le génocide franco-français - Reynald Secher
- La désinformation autour des guerres de Vendée et du génocide vendéen - Reynald Secher
- Le livre noir de la Révolution Française - Renaud Escande et collectif d'historiens
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