The Directory 1795-99

When did the New Constitution come into effect?

August 1795

What were the components of the 1795 constitution?

1. Council of the Five Hundred - Elected men over 30, could draft new legislation
2. Council of Ancients - Elected men over 40 how could approve or refuse bills
3. The Directory - 5 men chosen by the Council of Ancients, could rule for 5 year with one director being replaced every year. Controlled law enforcement, foreign and military affairs.

What was the voting system in the 1795 constitution?

- All males over 21 able to vote for electors
- Electors could then cote for deputies
- To be an elector you needed to pay over 150 days of labour in local taxes (only the very wealth)
- Elections held annually to replace 1/3rd of deputies

Who were the first 5 directors?

- Paul Barras - Elected to the National Convention in 1792, played a role in recapturing Toulon. A republican but not a Jacobin.
- Lazare Carnot - Previously member of the CPS responsible for coordinating the War effort. Not held responsible for the Terror
Reubell (foreign policy), Letourneur (Naval expert), La Revelliere-Lepeaux (anti-jacobin)

What were 4 weaknesses of the 1795 constitution?

1. Aim to create a system with checks and balances resulted in government without clear leadership
2. No room for negotiation or amendment of bills which created a breakdown in communication between the Council of 500 and Council of ancients
3. Annual elections with 1/3 of the council members forced to retire. Caused instability, lack of long-term policies and meant that no leaders could emerge
4. Degree of two thirds aimed to prevent a royalist resurgence by decreeing that 2/3rds of the deputies must have served in the Convention. Caused a lot of initial unpopularity

When was the assignat abolished?

February 1796

What mistake did the directory make when introducing the mandate?

They tied its value to the assignat so its value dropped and also became worthless

When was all paper currency scrapped in France?

February 1797

What was the problems with returning to metal currency?

There was not enough in circulation (emigres had taken their money with them). Due to insufficient coins there was a partial return to a natural economy e.g. deputies of the councils were paid in grain

How much of the state debt was wiped after the Directory declared itself bankrupt and began to pay off creditors with state bonds?

2/3rds (reduced annual expenditure by 160 million livres)

What was the impact of wiping the state debt?

Government bonds depreciated in value meaning that creditors had essentially been robbed. This reduced confidence of lenders in the Directory and angered the Council of Ancients

Why did the state income decline in line with the depreciation of the assignat?

Half of land tax was paid in assignats.

What did the Directory do to combat the shortfall in revenue?

Introduced indirect taxes on luxuries e.g. domestic servants and carriages
Introduced a poll tax
Introduced a successful stamp tax on newspapers and official documents
Reintroduced customs barriers and toll roads

What was the Directory accused of after the reintroduction of indirect taxes?

Attempting to return France to the Ancien Regime. The Council of Ancients used its veto to block a new salt tax modelled on the gabelle.

Why did the Directory feel it was necessary to increase policing?

Unrest in Brittany and the Vendee, bread riots, increase in crime, growing resentment to government policies.

When was the army first allowed to use military courts to try rebels?

June 1795

When were military courts made permanent bodies (declaration of martial law)?

1797

Which villages would troops be billeted in?

Villages that refused to pay their taxes or meet the demands of the army levy

How many communes had policing and judicial powers handed over to the military authorities by 1799?

200

When was the Vendemiaire Uprising?

5th October 1795

What were the causes of the Vendemiaire rising?

- Anger at the Degree of Two Thirds (royalists recognised that it was an attempt to keep them out of government and the poor wanted fresh elections)
- Royalist support for the Compte d'Artois who had arrived in France in late September
- Economic distress of Paris citizens (revolt centred in areas populated by business men who were impoverished by inflation)

How many people gathered in Paris to seize power during the Vendemiaire uprising?

25,000

How many government troops and rebels were killed in the Vendemiaire uprising?

600 troops and 800 rebels

Why was the Vendemiaire Rising unsuccessful?

- Sans-culottes lacked clear leadership, organisation or weaponry
- Napoleon used the 'grapeshot' to disperse the crowd

When was the Babeuf plot?

May 1796

Who was Gracchus Babeuf?

Extreme left-wing journalist who advocated for the poor of Paris and opposed the Directory as government for the Bourgeoisie. His newspaper Le Tribun du Peuple had only 500 subscribers

What happened during the Babeuf plot?

3 battalions of the Paris police were encouraged to mutiny. One of Babeuf's friends betrayed Babeuf by informing Carnot that he was planning a plot against the government. Babeuf was executed.

When was the Coup of Fructidor?

4th September 1797

Which politician led the electoral campaign for the Royalists in 1797?

Antoine d'Andre - fought for the relaxation of laws against emigres and refractory priests and peace in the Revolutionary wars

How many of the 260 council seats being contested were won by royalists in the 1797 elections?

180

Who replaced Letourner in the directory in 1797?

Barthelemy - a politician with know royalist sympathies. Carnot was also becoming increasingly conservative within the Directory.

What action did the Directory take to prevent royalist domination?

Republican Directors called on the army surround the Councils and arrest Carnot, Barthelemy and 53 royalist deputies.

How did the Directory justify the Coup of Fructidor and the subsequent cancelling of elections?

They claimed there was a Royalist plot and succeeded in the removal of 177 deputies from the councils.

Why can this be seen a turning point for the Directory?

By overturning election results the Directory undermined its own legitimacy and the basis of its power.
The Directory had been forced to use the army to maintain its position once again

Which groups did the Directory repress during the Directorial Terror?

- Emigres were given 2 weeks to leave France or face the death penalty
- The clergy were blamed for the spread of royalism and forced to swear an oath of loyalty to republicanism or be deported to French Guyana

How many priests were sentenced to deportation and how many were actually deported?

10,000 sentenced but only 230 actually deported (local authorities reluctant to act against the clergy)

Was the Directorial Terror a success?

It succeeded in the short-term by preventing a royalist resurgence.
Long-term it created opposition to the Directory, especially in Catholic areas
The Directories claims of religious neutrality were undermined

When did Compte de Provance declare himself King Louis XVIII in the Verona Declaration?

June 1795 (after the death of Louis XVI's son in prison)

What was the impact of the Verona Declaration?

By stating his intention to restore the ancien regime the constitutional royalist cause was damaged. Comte de Provence failed to gain any widespread support.

What was the Chouannerie?

A royalist, anti-Jacobin uprising in Brittany led by Jean Chouan from 1794-96.

When had the Chouans gained control of most of Brittany?

Spring 1796

When was the invasion of Quiberon Bay?

June 1795

What was the invasion of Quiberon Bay?

3,000 emigres and British troops landed in Brittany. National forces outnumbered the emigres eight to one. 6000 prisoners were taken.

What was the impact of the invasion of Quiberon Bay?

The Directory was motivated to supress the rebellion in Brittany. 140,000 troops were supplied to General Hoche.

When was the Chouannerie defeated?

Summer 1796 by General Hoche's army of 140,000 men

How did unrest in the Vendee remerge?

- Early success of the Chouannerie inspired an upswing in unrest
- Deep rooted tension from the Civil Constitution of the Clergy were exacerbated by economic hardship and the bad winter on 1795
- National Guard were frequently attacked if they attempted to collect taxes, install new priests or enforce the use of the new currency.

When did Comte d'Artois plan to launch an invasion of France by capitalising off the re-emergence of unrest in the Vendee?

September 1795

Why was Compte d'Artois not supported by the rebels in the Vendee?

Rebels were not willing to risk their lives for him. They were motivated by religious and economic discontent rather than a desire to return to the ancien regime. Comte d'Artois was forced to abandon his plan.

What military successes did the French have in the War of the First Coalition after 1795?

- France able to conquer and occupy the Austrian Netherlands
- Successful campaigns in the South against Dutch and Spanish forces
- Success against Austria during the Italian Campaign (1796-97)

Which campaign established Napoleon's reputation as a great general?

The Italian Campaign (1796-7)

What was significance of the Treaty of Campo-Formio 1797?

Napoleon negotiated the terms himself without consulting the Directory. Army was now independently determining foreign policy

How many soldiers deserted from the army after the Spanish Forces were repelled in the Pyrenees?

3,000

Why did the Directory's reputation suffer after the Treat of Campo-Formio?

People wanted the War to end and defeat of Austria presented this opportunity. Instead Napoleon began the Egyptian campaign to threaten the British and people blamed the Directory as they were responsible for foreign policy

When was a law passed calling for the conscription of all men aged 20-25 for 5 years during wartime and peacetime (including married men with children)?

September 1798

What was the impact of the new conscription law?

- Caused a wave of uprisings in the Provinces. Men in Normandy and Brittany entered rebel armies, allowing them to take control of significant town e.g. Le mans
- The spread of Civil War weakened the Directory

Give an example of passive resistance to conscription

Many departments failed to meet their levy requirements, some areas provided less that 19% of required conscripts.
Men would cut off their thumbs to prevent them from being able to serve in the army

What are the estimated French profits from the Italian Campaign? What was this money spent on?

200 million livres.
Only 1/4 was sent back to the directory, most spent on the upkeep of the army which created a vicious cycle of war.

What were the two reasons for the reliance of the Directory on the army?

1. Finances - The Directory required the army for indemnities
2. Power - The Directory relied on the army to suppress opposition to the republic e.g. martial law and generals for putting down unrest

When was the Coup of Floreal?

11th May 1798

What caused the Coup of Floreal?

- Directory was forced to rely on the support of the Jacobins after the removal of royalists from the councils
- Jacobins began to attack the directory for tolls and indirect taxation
- 86 new Jacobin deputies were elected in 1798 which panicked the Directory.

How many Jacobin newspapers were suppressed by the Directory prior to the Coup of Floreal?

11

How did the Directory push the Councils to annul elections in all but 53 departments?

Instigated rumours that the Jacobins were aiming to destroy the 1795 constitution

How many deputies lost their seats as a result of the Coup of Floreal?

127

When did the War of Second Coalition start?

November 1798 - Russia declared war on France and France declared war on Austria

When was Jourdan's Law passed?

September 1798

What was Jourdan's Law and what impact did it have?

- Called for more conscription and placed a forced loan on the rich.
- Faced much resistance, authorities attempting to carry it out were forcibly taken over

When was the Law of Hostages passed?

July 1799

What was Law of Hostages and what impact did it have?

- Attempted to enforce obedience by allowing arbitrary arrest and property confiscation
- Few were willing to enforce the law so it did nothing other than increase anger with the government

When was Abbe Sieyes appointed Director?

1799

What were Abbe Sieyes' aims after being appointed Director?

- Stage a Coup - he believed the system was failing due to a weak executive and feared a Royalist/Jacobin resurgence
- He asked Napoleon for help after he had returned to Paris from his failed Egyptian campaign.

When was the Coup of Brumaire?

9th November 1799

How did Sieyes convince the Council of Ancients to move to Saint-Cloud?

Told them there was a Jacobin Plot in the Council of the 500

What happened after Napoleon's troops entered the Council of the 500?

The deputies resisted, swearing an oath of loyalty to the 1795 constitution.
Lucien Bonaparte (president of the Council of the 500) claimed Jacobins had attempted to stab Napoleon during the chaos.
This allowed them to pass legislation abolishing the Directory and replacing it with a 3 man executive

When was the Consulship established?

December 1799 - part of a new constitution with a stronger executive

How was the new constitution given legitimacy?

A plebiscite was organised to add legitimacy to the new constitution. As many as 8,000 positive votes were added to each department.

What does the acceptance of the 1799 constitution reflect?

Dissatisfaction with the Directory, more than an embrace of new leadership