13. The Aftermath of the Terror Flashcards
Revise
What were the main events in the Thermidorian Reaction after the Terror?
July- Vacancies in the Committee of Public Safety and Committee for General Security lead to the positions being filled by moderate members.
August- Law of Prairial was repealed and prisoners were released. The Revolutionary Tribunal was reorganised reducing the number of those being guillotined. The Law on Revolutionary Government completely reorganised the centralised structure of the terror reducing the powers of the CPS and sent out new representatives-en-mission to stop any Jacobins in power. The powers of the Paris Commune were reduced (abolished in 1795).
September-The Church and the State were separate and they stopped paying clerical salaries.
November- Jacobin Club was shut down.
December- Law of Maximum was repealed, public workshops became privatised.
What events in response to the Terror were taken in 1795?
Toleration for all religious practices was made.
Representative-en-mission were abolished
Revolutionary Tribunal abolished
Law of Suspects officially repealed.
Who were the prominent Thermidorians?
Barras, once a high level Jacobin who sat on the CPS and in the Convention.
Tallien- Montagnard in the National Convention and a member of the CGS.
Fouche- Served in every government from 1792 to 1815. Was a representant-en-mission and was responsible for mass shootings in Lyons. Supported Robespierre’s fall.
How was the stability of Thermindorian France threatened?
The White Terror took action against those who committed the terror and were helped by the ‘Muscadins’ young bourgeois who fought ex-Jacobins and those wearing bonnet rouge. They helped destroy the Jacobin club and de-martyrise Marat.
The victims of the terror eg peasants of the Vendee also rose up against Jacobin prisoners and was particularly violent in Lyons.
What were further threats to stability beyond the White Terror?
The return of the emigres, they wanted royal property restored and the Catholic Church put back in its position.
Louis’ younger brother linked up with the Royalist Chouan rebels however General Houche defeated the Chouan’s in April and executed 700 emigres.
How did the Thermindorian’s crush opposition in France?
General Houche crushed a rebellion, while peace was agreed in La Prevalaye with the Chouans.
Maintained bans on religious clothing, symbols and processions.
The recapture of the Austrian-Netherlands and success against the United Provinces left only Britain and Austria at war (the Prussians left the coalition). This both let the Thermidorian’s focus on internal issues and weakened royalist challenge.
What were the causes of the 1795 Paris Risings?
Due to the Thermidorian’s ending price controls, ending of maximum and increased printing of assignats, inflation rose and the value of the assignat fell. Factories closed and farmers refused to sell grain for paper money. Bread rations for Parisians fell and many froze/starved to death.
What were the 3 Parisian risings in 1795?
Rising of Germinal, Rising of Pairial and Rising of Vendemiaire.
What happened in the Rising of Germinal?
10,000 invaded the Convention demanding bread and the Constitution of 1793.
They were cleared out easily but martial law was placed on Paris.
Disarmed those who took part in the terror and deported former Montagnards.
What happened in the Rising of the Prairial?
A larger force of armed men and san-culotte women marched into the convention and killed a deputy. The convention agreed to a food commission and then used the troops to disperse them. The next day 20,000 sans-culotte loaded a canon against the convention but were dispelled by 40,000 soldiers. The killers of the deputy as well as the defecting National guard were executed.
What was different about the rising of the Vendemiaire and what happened?
A royalist rising led by the Muscadins and enraged by the belief that the plebiscite that established a non-monarchial constitution was faked. A pro-royalist army of 25,000 marched on Paris.
Napoleon with 5/6,000 troops stopped the royalists with his wiff of grapeshot and ended the coup.
