The Presses Universitaires de France and Fr�meaux & Associ�s present this history of the Vendeans, analyzed and explained by Jean-Cl�ment Martin, professor emeritus at the University of Paris 1, specialist in the history of the French Revolution, the Counter-Revolution and the Vend�e war. From a local skirmish to civil war, "the Vend�e War" has become the symbol of counter-revolution. In the revolutionary context, the Vend�e chouanneries stirred up national tensions between Montagnards and Girondins. Various parts of French society join the revolt. The biggest civil war in the history of France begins and crystallizes the contradictions of this society in full transition. Jean-Cl�ment Martin offers us a living account of this episode in the history of France and gives keys to the painful memory process that separates us from it.