why did the Directory fail?

weaknesses of the 1795 Constitution

• yearly elections of the Council of Ancients promoted political instability, and allowed for infiltration

• There was no means of resolving conflicts between the legislature and the executive

• The councils could paralyse the Directory by refusing to pass laws that the government required

• The directors could neither dissolve the councils nor veto the laws passed by them

• Weakness was built into the system - relied on the military from the start

Political violence

Fructidor

Floreal

Prairial

• demonstrate opposition from both left and right political groups NO ONE IS HAPPY

the economy

by 1796, the assignat was pretty much worthless

this demonstrates the Directory’s incapability to deal with economic crisis

in 1797 the only currency was metal coins, and due to limited supply, there was severe deflation of prices. this reduced business profits, and so lost support for the Directory from workers

foreign war and Napoleon

Napoleon was given command of the Italian Campaign in the war in Austria

Napoleon was confident enough to make his own foreign policy and ignore direct commands from the Directory

• the Directors wanted to use Lombardy as a bargaining chip when negotiating with Austria, but instead Napoleon set up a Cisalpine Republic and Austria recognised the Austrian Netherlands as French territory

the Directory and Generals were furious, but could do nothing

resentment from the masses - internal

• Vendemiaire Uprising - proof that people were unhappy from the start

• Jourdan’s Law proposed that conscription be reintroduced for the first time since 1793. Councils approved it in September 1798

• It provoked widespread resistance - much of the Austrian Netherlands revolted in November and it took two months to put down the rising - brigandage

• The Republic could no longer pay for the war by seizing foreign assets, so a forced loan on the rich was decreed