French Revolution, Points Test 10 - CoB and Directory Flashcards
When was the new constitution of the directory created, and by whom?
The new constitution was created in November 1795/by the Thermidorians (who had drown it up in August 1795.
How was the constitution ratified in September 1795?
By a plebiscite.
What were the main ideas underpinning the new constitution? (3 marks, 1 for any correct answer).
- It reflected a desire for stability and moderation.
- Having survived Terror, thermidorians wanted to create gov. that fulfilled moderate intentions of 1789.
- They wanted to avert the more radical aims of the broad-based 1793 constitution.
- They used ancient republican models, Rome and Sparta, for inspiration.
- Overriding concern to uphold the ‘rule of law’.
- Also, to avoid the concentration of power in the hands of any one person or group.
- Built a system of checks and balances.
- These ensured power in one area always counterbalanced by power elsewhere.
How did the new constitution discriminate on the basis of property/wealth?
Rule on taxation meant that only citizens who owned or rented property and paid a set amount of tax each year could vote/sit in the assemblies.
Which year was the new constitution named after?
Constitution of Year III
Explain the nature of the new executive under the new constitution (3 marks, 1 for any correct answer).
- Directory of 5
• 5 directors would be chosen by the Ancients from a list provided by the 500.
• The directors formed the executive and appointed ministers.
• One member, chosen by lot, would retire each year and none could also sit on the councils.
Explain the nature of the Council of 500 (2 marks).
- Comprised deputies over age of 30.
* Proposed and drew up all legislation but did not vote on it.
Explain the nature of the Council of Ancients (3 marks).
- Comprised 250 married or widowed men over 40.
- Examined and approved or rejected legislation.
- Did not propose legislation.
Explain how elections would work under the new constitution (5 marks).
- Elections would take place annually, with a third of the deputies standing down each year.
- Electors: those paying a certain sum in taxation eligible to sit in the assemblies.
- This created an electorate of roughly a million.
- Of which 30,000 eligible to sit in the resulting assemblies.
- All male taxpayers over 21 ‘citizens’ who could vote.
- This meant 5.5 of 8 million adult males entitled to vote.
Though in its 4 years 13 men served as directors, name the 4 most memorable individuals who did so (4 marks).
- Lazare Carnot, spared exile after Thermidor despite his role in the CPS, because of his role in organising the war.
- Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyés, elected in 1795 but didn’t agree to serve until 1799.
- Pierre-Roger Ducos, a ‘moderate’ who had kept his head down during the terror.
- Paul Barras, a man formerly responsibility for the brutal suppression of the counter-revolution and the only one to serve for the entire period.
Why did the nature of the Directory’s new collective executive cause difficulties? (Give 2 correct answers for 2 marks).
- However, since the Directory sought to limit the power of individual politicians, no individual leader stood out.
- Left Directory without clear direction.
- Directors had a variety of different views, making it increasingly hard for them to work together.
- After 1st year, there was a schism between more moderate conservatives Carnot and Letourneur (replaced by Barthélemy) on the one side, and the republicans Barras, Rewbell and Lépeaux on the other.
- Carnot and Barthélemy forced to step down in the 1797 coup of Fructidor.
Why was the constitution also problematic in terms of the relationship between the three different bodies of the new government?
- There was no mechanism to resolve disputes between executive directors and legislative councils.
- This only became acute in 1799, but it was one of the reasons why Directors resorted to underhand practices to try and control the composition of the Councils.
Who was Pierre-Roger Ducos why was he significant? (5 marks, 1 per any correct answer).
- Pierre-Roger Ducos (1747-1816) had sat in ‘The Plain’ during the NC.
- Became a member of the Council of 55 when directory established.
- After coup of Prairial, he was named Director, thanks to help of friend Barras.
- Supported Napoleon’s Coup in 1799.
- Made one of the three original consuls.
- Did well during the empire but abandoned Napoleon in 1814.
What financial problems did the directory have to deal with from the beginning of 1795? (3 marks).
- Thermidorian attempt to switch from a controlled to a liberal economic structure had resulted in acute inflation.
- By end of 1795, remaining assignants still in circulation worthless.
- Directory inherited a badly unbalanced budget (worsened by war costs) and problems of tax-collection (not helped by rotation of authority from 1793).
What wider economic difficulties did the directory have to deal with from the beginning of 1795? (2 marks).
- Problems of food supply persisted, hindered by grain speculators but also compounded by another poor harvest in 1795.
- Trading situation compromised by war and British Naval Efforts to restrict French Colonial Trade and blockade French Ports.
What efforts did the Directory make to try and stabilise the currency, and how successful was this? (7 marks, 1 per any correct answer).
- Efforts made to stabilise country, continuing the switch from paper to metal currency that had begun in last months of Thermidorian government.
- Directory made one last attempt at paper money, by using mandats, a type of land-purchase bond similar to the assignants.
- In February 1796, 800 million francs-worth of mandats were issues to replace the 24 billion francs-worth of assignants still in circulation.
- However, mandats rapidly counter-feited and their value depreciated so rapidly that, within a year, they too were worth virtually nothing and had to be withdrawn.
- Thereafter, metal coins became the only legal currency.
- Although inflation halted, the lack of coinage in circulation brought deflation, which hindered trade.
- Nevertheless, the Directory’s attempt at controlling currency laid groundwork for Bank of France in 1800 set up under Napoleon.
What other economic measures did the Directory take to deal with economic problems in terms of trading, and how successful were these? (2 marks).
- In 1795 weights and measures were standardised (finally replacing old regional variations of the Ancien Régime).
- This to have positive long-term effect; helped by better harvests in 1796 and 1798, price of grain brought down.
How did the Directory’s finance minister Ramel reorder the Tax System, and how effective were these measures?
- Taxation system reorganised by the Finance Minister, Vincent Ramel, in 1798, making the assessment and collection of direct taxation more efficient.
- Introduction of new property taxes (such as a tax on doors and windows) to address the budgetary issues and cover the shortfall between income and expenditure.
- He also revived the Octrois, taxing goods entering towns.
What were the advantages and disadvantages of the Directory’s policy towards the creation of the mandats? (3 marks).
• The issuing of mandats wrote off 2/3rds of government debt.
• Although their collapse destroyed the creditors who bought them (who would abandon support for the directory as a result), the Directory could finally claim that it had achieved a balance of payments surplus in 1797 and 1798.
• However, this alienated the creditors and tax-payers amongst the bourgeoisie.
This was the Directory’s support base.
Why did the success of the French armies help the Directory’s economic problems? (3 marks).
- Despite disruption to trade, success of French armies for most of directory meant that plunder and tribute helped fill france’s depleted treasury.
- Unlike part-conscripted, part volunteer armies of the Jacobin dictatorship, Directory relied on professional armies.
- These were paid and provided for by France, but ‘lived off the land’ of the territories they were fighting in.
What two particular sources of internal opposition were most threatening to the Directory in France, and why? (2 marks).
- Both royalism and Jacobinism remained potent forces within France.
- Both challenges to the Directory’s bid for moderate, democratic government.
What rising, just days before the new constitution was introduced, shower the extent of the threat of one of these forces within france? (1 mark).
• Rising of Vendémiaire of Oct 1795, just days before the new constitution introduced, showed extent of royalism’s growth since the terror.
Who did the Directory call upon to deal with remaining pockets of resistance in the Vendée and the west? (1 mark).
• General Hoche.
What caused the west to flare up in resistance against the directory once again in 1799?
• Further Chouanism in 1799, following reintroduction of conscription by Jourdan Law of 1798.
