Final answer:
France declared war on Austria in 1792 to defend and further their revolutionary ideas against monarchies and external threats seeking to restore King Louis XVI's power. Internal political factions and the desire to uphold revolutionary principles were significant drivers of the conflict.
Step-by-step explanation:
France went to war with Austria in 1792 due to a complex set of political and revolutionary circumstances. Radical parties in France, such as the Girondins and the Jacobins, were gaining strength and striving for significant changes within France. The Girondins aimed to fight Austria and end slavery in colonies, while the Jacobins, backed fiercely by the sans-culottes, pushed for the elimination of the monarchy. France declared war on Austria as a reaction to the threat posed by Austria, Prussia, and émigrés who were plotting to restore the absolute powers of King Louis XVI. The French saw victory as essential to preserving the revolutionary principles.
The war against Austria was part of a broader revolutionary mission that extended to Great Britain, with the French intent on overthrowing all monarchies. While the United States had an obligation to assist France based on the Treaty of Alliance, George Washington and his advisers, including Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, decided on neutrality to protect American interests.