Thermidorian Reaction and the Directory

Quote which describes public reaction in Paris to the Coup of Thermidor

“..joy almost turned to frenzy” - Charles de Lacretelle (journalist)

When was the machinery of the Terror dismantled?

The end of July 1794 to the end of may 1795

What three actions were taken to dismantle the machinery of the Terror?

• The Law of 22 Prarial was abolished

• The Revolutionary Tribunal was shut down, after 63 Terrorists were executed

• All suspects were released from prison

How was the centralization established by The CPS abandoned?

• 16 committees were set up to carry out most of the work of the CPS

• The CPS was confined to running the war and diplomacy

• 25% of the members of the two committees had to be changed each month

How were religious issues dealt with?

• The constitutional church was renounced and there was a clear separation of church from state —> emigres could return

• Liberty was granted to all religions —> all religious leaders free to compete for popular support and dechristianisation ended

• State recognition of the Cult of the Supreme being ended

What lead to the uprisings of Germinal and Prairial?

• The abolition of the Maximum, as the Convention believed in a free market economy and thought it difficult to enforce, led to rampant inflation

• This effected the poorest in society most

• As the government had to buy their war supplies at market values, they decided to print more assignats

• A disastrous harvest further increased grain shortages - famine, misery and suicides ensued

Values which show the decreasing value of the assignat

August 1794 - 36% origional 1790 value (before the abolition of the Maximum)

April 1795 - 8%

May 1795 - 4%

When were the Maximum Laws abolished?

December 1794

When was the Uprising of Germinal?

April 1st 1795

What happened in the Uprising of Germinal?

10,000 unarmed people marched on the Convention demanding bread and the release of former CPS members Barre, Collot and Billaud

When loyal national Guards appeared, they withdrew without resisting

What was the response to the Uprising of Germinal?

• Barre, Collot and Billaud were deported to Devil’s Island

• Other known activists during the terror were disarmed

When was the Uprising of Prairial?

May 20th 1795

What took place on Prarial 1?

• Housewives, workers and some National Guard units marched on the convention do demand bread

• In the chaos, a deputy was killed but the convention was not prepared to cannon fire on the crowd

• The Convention agreed to set up a food commission

What was the significance of the Uprising of Prairial?

• It saw the end of the power of the Sans-Culotte

• It revealed how reliant the new regime was on the military

Why did the uprising of Prairial fail?

• Many of the National Guard units were loyal

• There was no Paris Commune to coordinate activities

• They were politically inexperienced

• They had lost the support of the radical Bourgeoisie

Who was the White Terror an attack on?

Those who had benefitted from the Terror

When did the White Terror take place?

April-May 1695

Who was involved in the White Terror?

1. Those who had been victims of the Revolutionary Tribunals

2. Returning Emigres and non-juring priests

Where did the White Terror take place?

Some departments in the north and west of Loire and south of Lyon

Who were the jeunesse dorée and what did they do?

They were extravagantly dressed youths who were bankers, lawyers, clerks etc and sons of suspects or those executed

They attacked sans culotte in Paris an ex-Jacobins

What was the Chouan movement?

• Individuals who opposed conscription

• Lead by Jean Cottereau

• By summer 1794 they controlled most of Brittany

Who joined the Chouans and when, and what did the rebel forces number at?

• 3000 emigre troops who landed at Quiberon bay

• In June 1795

• The total rebel forced numbered 22,000

What General commanded the defeat of the Chouans and how?

• General Hoche

• 6000 prisoners were taken, including 1000 emigres

• 640 emigres and 108 Chouans were shot

• The government restored order by summer 1796 by sending Hoche with an army of 140,000 to wipe out the Chouan and Vendee rebels

White terror in the south

• The murder gangs were not considered to be a threat to the republic so little effort was made to crush them —> they spread rapidly

• In Lyon and the Rhone valley, prison massacres reminiscent of the September massacres took place

• Gangs of youths killed as many as 2000 in the south-east in 1795, the killing continued in 1796 and for much of the following year

What did the Thermidorians consider to be the main features of the Revolution in 1789?

• Freedom of the individual

• Abolition of privilege

• Control of local and national affairs by an elected assembly and elected officials

What were the two aims of the new constitution?

1. To enforce what they thought they key principles of the 1789 revolution

2. To make sure that the dictatorship of the committees couldn’t happen again, so another Terror wasn’t possible

What were the 3 main features of the new constitution?

1. Men over 21 who paid direct taxation could vote in electors

2. Electors were the very rich who had suffered from the revolution as they had to pay taxes equivalent to 150-200 days labour

3. It rigidly separated the legislature from the executive to prevent dictatorship

Describe the two main chambers of the legislature

1. The Council of 500 - men over 30 who initiated legislation

2. The Council of Ancients - men over 40 who could approve and reject legislature but could not introduce or change them

Who held executive power under the power of the new constitution?

• The 5 Directors

• Who were chosen by the Ancients from a list drawn up by the 500

What powers did the executive have and not have?

Limitations

1. Could not be members of either council

2. Could not initiate or veto laws

3. They could not declare war

4. They had no power over the treasury

5. One had to retire each year

Powers

1. Diplomacy and military affairs

2. Law enforcement

3. Government ministers and commissioners were responsible to the Directors

What were the weaknesses of the New Constitution?

1. It had no mechanism to settle disputes between the legislature and the executive

2. When the ancients didn’t pass legislature that the government needed, it could lead to paralysis

3. They yearly elections promoted instability, as the majorities in councils could be quickly overturned

4. The directors could neither dissolve the councils or veto laws passed by them

5. The legislature could only alter the composition of the executive by replacing one director who retired each year with its own candiate

What was the decree of two thirds and why was it introduced?

• 2/3 of the councils were to be comprised of members of the Convention

• It was introduced due to fears of a royalist majority in the councils emerging due to the unpopularity of the Convention

How many accepted the constitution in the plebiscite and how many opposed it?

1. Approximately 1,010,000 were in favour

2. Approximately 49,900 opposed it

By how many votes did the decree of two thirds pass in the plebiscite?

205,000 to 108,000

When was the Verona Declaration issued?

June 24th 1795

What was the Verona Declaration?

• It was a claim of Louis’ brother to the throne as Louis XVIII

• After young Louis XVII died in prison

What was the impact of the Verona Declaration?

• This was in the context of constitutional monarchs pressing for the restoration of a limited monarchy

• However, louis’ brother wished to restore the ‘ancient constitution’ and return ‘stolen properties’ to the church and the emigres

• This alienated all those who had bought the land and all those who had benefited from the abolition of the tithe and feudal dues

• So it was a boost to those who favoured a republic

What lead to many Parisians opposing the Verona Declaration and subsequently the Law of two Thirds?

• They hoped the convention would soon be replaced because of its inability to deal with food shortages and inflation

• Royalists thought any restoration of the monarchy was unlikely, given the known hostility of the monarchy

When was the Vendemiaire uprising?

October 5th 1795

What happened in the Vendemiaire uprising?

• Napoleon fired on the crowds of 25,000 royalists

• Over 300 were killed or wounded in the fighting, making it one of the bloodiest journees

How did the Vendemiaire uprising originate?

1. Partly, it was against the Two Thirds decree

2. Economic origins - they largest social groups were artisans and apprentices as many had been hit badly by inflation, but they had previously supported the Thermidorians and defended the convention in the uprisings of Germinal and Prairial

What was the impact of the Vendemiaire uprising?

• Only two people were executed

• The National Guard was put under control of Napoleon

• Sectional assemblies were abolished

What happened on Prairial III

• the rebels were forced to unarm themselves by 20,000 troups

• 40 Montegnards were arrested and 6 were executed

• 36 were condemned to death

• 6000 militants were disarmed and arrested