What happened to émigrés' property during the Revolution?

• A. Confiscations of property.
• B. Property remained with the émigrés; reallocation to the state.
• C. Emigrés were compensated with government bonds.
• D. Emigrés' properties were used to fund the war but not confiscated.

Answer: (A)

During the Revolution, the property of émigrés—those who fled the country—was confiscated by the state and declared national property. This move served practical needs, providing revenue to fund the war and support the revolutionary government, while also weakening the economic power base of opponents to the Revolution. The seized estates and assets could be sold or granted to supporters, transforming wealth into state resources. Because the property was taken and assigned to the state rather than kept by the émigrés or paid back in bonds, confiscations best describe what happened. The other options don’t fit the pattern of revolutionary policy, which did not routinely leave émigrés' property in their hands or compensate them with bonds, and it did involve using that property to fund the war through its confiscation.