7. The Establishment Of The Directory Flashcards
When was the constitution of the Directory adopted?
November 1795
How many ‘Directors’ were there and what did one have to do each year?
There were five directors who formed the executive and appointed ministers. They had to retire each year.
How many directors served for the entire period of the Directory?
During the Directory’s four year tenure, 13 men served as directors.
Give two problems faced by the Directorate?
- No prominent leader stood out, leaving it without clear direction.
- No mechanism to resolve disputes between executive Directors and legislative councils. This is one reason why the Directors resorted to underhand practices to try to control the composition of the councils.
Which ‘Council’ drew up legislation and which ‘Council’ voted on it?
The council of five hundred proposed and drew up all legislation.
The council of ancients examined and approved or rejected legislation.
Who could vote?
All male taxpayers over 21 who were citizens could vote (5.5 out of 8 million adult males)
When were assignats replaced and by what?
In February 1796, 800 million francs-worth of mandates replaced the 24 billion francs-worth of assignats.
How did the war effect the economy?
The war exacerbated the problem of the badly unbalanced budget. The trading situation was compromised by war and by British naval efforts to restrict French colonial trade and blockade French ports.
What did Babeuf believe and how was he a threat?
He was a Jacobin who campaigned for the rights of the poor and for the 1793 constitution as a counter balance to royalist demands. He called for a revival of the terror (in response to the dire economic circumstances of 1796) and soldiers were ready to join an armed uprising of the masses (conspiracy of equals) on 11th May 1796. In May 1797, Babeuf and a co-conspirator were guillotined.
What position did the Directory constantly find itself?
Trying to maintain a balance of power between the two extremes of right and left where periodic agitation was faced.
How did the Directory try to prevent a royalist majority?
In April 1797, constitutional monarchists increased their number of seats to 182 so more than a third of the deputies had royalist sympathies. In September, the directors Barras and Rewbell hatched a plot. They produced evidence that Pichegru, who was elected president of the Council of Five Hundred, had made contact with monarchist emegres in 1795, they had him arrested and accused the Five Hundred of acting against the revolution. The military forces of Augereau and Hoche seized strongpoints in Paris and 177 royalist deputies were arrested. Of these, 53 were sent to French occupied Guiana and 42 opposition newspapers were forcibly shut down. This undermined the 1795 constitution and added to a lack of confidence in the electoral press.
How did the Directory attempt to minimise royalist gains?
The Directory passed a new electoral law in January 1798 before the next round of elections in March. Jacobins soared ahead, so results were altered by a scrutinising process and the Law of 22 Floréal purged 127 deputies from the Council of Five Hundred before they could even take their seats. The results from eight departements were quashed. This coup of Floréal reinforced the difficulties of operating the constitution of 1796.
What followed the Fructidor Coup?
Vindictive legislation which named former members of the second estate as foreigners, so they had to apply for naturalisation papers to regain their rights as citizens. Returned emigres were given two weeks to leave France, if not they would be prosecuted by new military tribunals.
When was the Directory at a low ebb?
By 1799, both the Council of Five Hundred and that of the Ancients questioned the conduct of war and complained that the election of Director Treilhard had been illegal. This led to the coup of Prairial on 17th June where Gohier, a former Jacobin minister during the National Convention, replaced him. Sieyes took advantage of the situation with the support of Barras. He proposed to enforce the councils demands that the Directors Lépeaux and Dounai should stand down. On 18th June, when the directors resisted, Sieyes called on General Joubert, who had command of the army in Paris, to organise troops in Paris. The resignations were received and Sieyes was triumphant. For the first time, the Council had forced a purge of the Directors. The Directory seemed to have increased divisions instead of healing them. It had constantly overturned electoral results and grown dependant on the army to maintain itself. In July 1799, fearful of the growing Jacobin sentiment in councils, Sieyes introduced the Law of Hostages which allowed local authority to take action against potential radicals. However it’s enforcement was dependant on attitudes in the localites. There was little to hold the government together, so it was only a matter of months until the final coup of Brumaire.
What challenges the view that the Directory was tolerated rather than supported?
The Directory represented an attempt to return to the moderate revolution, before the government was radicalised by the Terror, and to deal with enemies to both the left and right to challenge this. What is seen as corruption could be seen as an attempt of the middle ground to forestall extremism at a time when political processes were under developed and mobs poorly educated and easily influenced.
