Well before April 20, 1792, the period of the Constituent Assembly served to link Robespierre to agonizing contemporary concerns, at a time when the question of war generated violent debates. From 1789 onwards, the threat of an armed confrontation raised a question about the future of the Revolution. To evoke the war, whether desired or feared by the deputies, became an occasion for Robespierre to make his voice heard in the political arena that he wished, for the cause of the Revolution. An impending war was not inevitable ; rather it was an opportunity for Robespierre to change an old absolute and warring monarchy into a new democratic and pacific regime, always vigilant and in a state of defense.