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Why was the Directory overthrown? - Coggle Diagram
Why was the Directory overthrown?
Jourdan's Law
This was a result of small army size (270,000 for the whole nation), desertion, low morale, and reluctance to join military
Austrain-Netherlands was in revolt, and the majority of the men who avoided military service did not like it.
This was a contributor to the unpopularity of the Directory, especially seen through the 1799 elections.
Many moderates and some Jacobins elected. Jourdan called for a levee en masse in order to make all men between ages of 20-25 be conscripted
There was resistance to the law, only 250000 of the 400000 in the first draft actually joined
The law also encouraged many to join rebel groups and brigands in order to avoid conscription
What was it? It proposed that conscription be reintroduced until 1793. This was approved in September 1798.
Coup d'état of Brumaire
Sept 1799: Russians driven out of Switzerland
Sieyès (a director) wanted to stage a coup to strengthen the executive, knew the Five Hundred wouldn't agree
Bonaparte was recommended to provide military support, most successful republican general, brought peace in 1797
Joined the coup on the condition to set up a provisional government of 3 consuls, new constitution
Removal to Saint-Cloud (former royal palace, suburbs of Paris)
Sieyès wanted to move the councils, afraid the Jacobins in Paris would provide opposition
Anciens persuaded the councils, used fear of a plot as an excuse
Council of Five hundred was furious when they heard about the plot being organised, Bonaparte addressed
Napoleon was physically attacked by Jacobin deputies, his brother (President of the five hundred) rescued him
Smaller meeting organised, approved a decree abolishing the Directory
Replaced with a provisional executive committee of three members: Sieyès, Roger Ducos and Napoleon
Napoleon's brother seen as the reason for the coup's success
Success? Created internal conflicts within the directory, gave more power to one committee, importance of the military for maintaining stability and their strength
The Constitution of Year III
didn't create stability:
constant elections
no way of resolving disputes between executive & legislature
interference in elections to maintain the law that 2/3 of council members had to be from the Committee
very elitist:
caused by high taxes given to electors
created poor representation
thus lacked public support in times of crisis
also the public kind of just stopped voting
Wasn't able to defend itself:
created by the separation of powers
increased use of army to settle disputes meant possibility of a military takeover was high
inability to work through problems legally meant people had little faith, weren't prepared to fight for it
did it achieve stability?
NO
but did maintain abolition of slavery
Collapse in the Provinces and Law of Hostages
Law of Hostages: 12 July 1799. Relatives of any French citizens opposing the Republic would be imprisoned at their own expense and their property seized to pay for damage done by anti-government rebels.
Any resisting areas could be declared disturbed, and then local authorities could arrest any nobles and all relatives of them, with them potentially being imprisoned, fined or having their property taken.
Collapse in the Provinces: In 1799 there was a virtual collpase of government administration in the provinces.
There were many reasons for this: The Directory could not persuade local notables to accept office and had few troops to enforce it's decrees. Local authorities were often taken over by royalists, who refused to levy forced loans, persecute non-juring priests or catch deserters.
The National Guard was not large enough to keep order in the absence of regular troops, so substantial areas of the countryside were not policed at all. Government comissioners were killed as quickly as they were replaced. The result of this was brigandage, and by November 1799 there was civil war in Southern France.
Forced Loan and Crisis
Why was it introduced?
Forced Loan: a measure compelling the wealthy in the nation to loan money to the govt (like a bond, except forced)
French Republic was finding it difficult to pay for the war by seizing foreign assets and a solution to which was the Forced Loan
Aims and Impacts
Aims:
Intended to raise around 100,000,000 livres (wealthy would have to give up 3/4 of their income)
Impacts:
By November, only 10 million livres had been collected
Local authorities were increasingly taken over by royalists who refused to implement the forced loans
Govt commissioners were often killed and replaced
Led to collapse of administrative functions of the Directory and showed their inability to implement their laws/measures effectively
To what extent did they achieve economic stability: To a very small extent.
This managed to raise small finance however lead to greater unrest and chaos in the administrative areas of France and the Directory. They were also unable to continue this for long periods of time.
Historian perspectives
Orthodox Marxist
The Thermidorians and the Directory are the point at which the Revolution came to a halt. Sans-culottes were defeated, idealism of Year II had worn off
George Levebvre: "The whole history of the Directory lives up to these portents" - the reason it failed was because of the impacts of Year II and the Thermidorians
Norman Hampson: "the country was ungovernable by normal constitutional means"
Revisionist
Emphasise the economic problems confronted by the Thermidorian and the Directory, need to maintain a balance between the far left and far right
William Doyle: the constitution was never "given the chance to work properly". "Even its self-appointed guardians had never trusted it to function freely"
Leading historian of the Directory
Challenges faced by the Thermidorians in attempting to produce a system which avoided the return of extremism
Denis Woronoff: "The regime's destiny had no doubt been settled on 22 Floreal Year VI". The regime collapsed "under the weight of its own contradictions"
Law of 22 Floreal
essentially a coup by legal means
means power was now in the hands of even fewer elitists who governed in their own interest & those who bribed them
most middle class were alienated by policies (thus weren't prepared to defend it)
did it achieve stability?
NO