a) The Thermidorians Flashcards
When did the Thermidorian change begin?
August 1794
What changes were made during the Thermidorian Reaction?
Dismantled the revolutionary government
Led to the establishment of the Directory in Nov 1795
The Thermidorian’s were made up of people from which groups?
- Former Jacobins - who had abandoned violence
- Some members of the CPS and CGS
- The Plains Deputies - opposed Sans-Culottes and Maximum laws
What Political changes did the Convention implement during the Thermidorian Reaction?
- Revolutionary Tribunal was closed
- Jacobin club was closed, and prisoners under the Jacobins were released
- The Law of Prairial was repealed
- CPS’s powers reduced to managing war, and a regular turnover of membership was introduced for CPS and CGS
- Paris Commune ended
- Power in government shifted to moderates
What Religious changes were implemented during the Thermidorian Reaction?
- Link between Church and state was broken
- In September 1794 state payment to the church was stopped
- Robespierre’s Cult of Supreme Being was abolished
- The dechristianisation process implemented during the Terror was abolished
What Ecomomic changes were implemented during the Thermidorian Reaction?
Thermidorian’s believed in free market
- Abandoned price controls
- State owned industries were returned to the private sector
What problems did the economic changes implemented during the Thermidorian Reaction create?
- Inflation - due to the end of price controls
- Assignants - gov had to print more money to pay for private owned goods
- Hardships - failed harvest of 1794 pushed up food prices
When was the Germinal Protest?
10 April 1795
What did the protestors at the Germinal Rising demand?
- Lower food prices
- Reinsertion of the 1793 Constitution
- Release from prison former members of the CPS
Why did the Germinal Rising fail?
- Protestors failed to gain support from the deputies
- When the National Guard arrived, the protesters dispersed
When was the Prairial Rising?
20 May 1795
What were the protesters at the Prairial Rising angered by?
Food shortages
Why did the Prairial Rising fail?
When the National Guard arrived, the rebels dispersed
The rebels were disarmed and did not have a clear strategy
What did the failures of the Germinal and Prairial risings signify?
The end of the mob’s influence on the Revolution
Sans-culottes would no longer control events
Power was securely in the hands of the authorities
By 1795, the sans-culottes were finished as a political force. Why?
- They were divided and failed to act decisively
- They previously allied with the Bourgeoisie due to a mutual hatred over privilege, but privilege was abolished
- When the Paris Commune closed, organisation among them was disrupted
- The army’s loyalty to the government reduced their importance
