Section 4, 1794 - 1799

Question 1

What was the Directory?

Answer 1

Nov 1795 set up as a new form of gov
Struggledwith its aims to restore stability
Moderate statnding caused need to supress radicals & royalists
Succeeded in fixing the economical hardship brought on by the terror & set up a number of elite centralised schools

Question 2

How was the Directory structured?

Answer 2

Consisted of:
Council of 500, who proposed legislation
A council of ancients, 250 delegates who had the power to veto or oppose legislation sent by the 500
An executive body of 5 directors who were annually rotated, & had the job of selecting officials for the 2 houses, and other gov positions

Question 3

When was the closure of the Jacobin Club?

Answer 3

Nov 1794
Following orders from the Directorate

Question 4

What happened to the Law of General Maximum in December 1794?

Answer 4

Abolished by the Directory weighing to its negative effects pertaining to the economy and food supplies around France

Question 5

What was the Journee of Germinal in Paris?

Answer 5

April 1795
Parisian Citizens & the SCs invaded the Convention, demanding a slight return to the Terror const to adress food shortages & inflation (caused by removal of Law of General Max)
Encouraged by Montagnards
Dispersed before demands met, further weakening radical viewpoints
Encouraged the Directory to draft a new Constitution (III in Aug)

Question 6

What was the White Terror?

Answer 6

April - May 1795
Targgeted & executed the Montagnards for their extreme revolutionary views perpetuating the Terror Further suppressing the radicalism which had been so strong in France less than 2 years prior

Question 7

What was the Journee of Prairial?

Answer 7

May 1795
Same principles of the Journee of Germinal
Failed
The sans culottes didn’t play a significant role in Parisian politics again until the early 19th century, with the Jacobin influence all but gone from the French people

Question 8

What was the Constitution of Year III?

Answer 8

Aug 1795
Officialises the directory and its systems of voting
Directory officially installed in November

Question 9

What were the Royalist Vandemere Risings in Paris?

Answer 9

Oct 1795
25,000 Royalist sympathiser
Revolt in Paris, aim to restore the Monarchy
Republican forces led by Napoleon (out of favour since associations with Robespierre) defeated the royalists, killing 300 of them

Question 10

When & why was Napoleon Bonaparte appointed commander of the Italian Army?

Answer 10

1796
After his Vandemere Risings success in Paris, the Directory sent Bonaparte on a campaign in Italy where he destroyed all the Austrian armies he faced, eventually leading to them Suing for Peace

Question 11

What was the Babeuf Conspiracy?

Answer 11

May 1796
Jacobin
Calling for a return to the Terror
Him & his Jacobin associates executed by the Directory

Question 12

What was the Second Treaty of San Ildeofonso?

Answer 12

Aug 1796
Allies Spain with France

Question 13

What was the Treaty of Tolentino?

Answer 13

Feb 1797
Signed between France and the Papal States, following Napoleon’s redirection of forces to the papal regions of central Italy & great successes in the North
Leads to a great deal of northern/central Italy being ceded to The French Republic, and newly introduced Cisalpine Republic (Italian Sister Republic to France)

Question 14

What battles did France win in the War of the Frist Coalition in 1797?

Answer 14

January: Battle of Rivoli (Austria)
March: Battle of Tagliamento (Habsburg Austria, ruled by the British)
March: Battle of Tarvis (Austria)
April: Battle of Neuwied (Austria)
April: Battle of Diersheim (Austria)

Question 15

What battle did France loose in the War of the Frist Coalition in 1797?

Answer 15

February: Battle of Fishguard
France lose a naval battle against Britain off the coast of Wales

Question 16

When does France Conquer Venice?

Answer 16

May 1797 during the war of the First Coalition
Ends over 1,100 years of the city’s independence

Question 17

What was the Peace of Leoben?

Answer 17

Signed in April, armistice goes into effect in May after ratifications are exchanged at Montebello
Between France & the Holy Roman Empire

Question 18

What caused the Coup of Fructidor against royalist deputies?

Answer 18

1795, wonmany seats in elections
By 1797, majority of Moderates and Royalists, passed royalist decrees and acts, repealing laws against refractory preists
This raised concerns about a potential return of the monarchy

Question 19

What was the Coup of Fructidor?

Answer 19

May 1797
A coup organised by 3 Directors
Stated that anyone found to be supporting the restoration of the monarchy or the Constitution of 1793 would be shot without trial
Led to the deportation of 65 deputies & one of the Directors
Overall, the event put an end to the monarchist majority, allowing the directory to maintain its hold on power

Question 20

What was the Treaty of Campo Formio?

Answer 20

Oct 1797
Ended the First War of the Coalition
Leaves Britain as France’s only remaining opponent (had made peace with all others involved)
Republic of Venice partitioned between France & Austria
Handed France a number of Mediterranean islands
Peace in Europe for the first time since 1792

Question 21

How was the Papacy incorporated into France?

Answer 21

Feb 1798
Papal government removed
Papal States replaced with another sister republic, the Roman Republic, operating under the same governmental structure as the Directory

Question 22

Who were the Neo-Jacobins?

Answer 22

Montagnards and Ex-Jacobins present in the Convention who were angry about Directorial methods of taxation join forces, establishing a group who controlled 106 seats

Question 23

What was the Law of Floreal Year VI?

Answer 23

May 1798
Removal of extreme republicans from office
Director response to formation of the Neo-Jacobins
Bloodless Coup removes around 130 deputies from office, replaced with individuals chosen by the Directory

Question 24

Why did the Directory send Napoleon to Egypt in May 1798?

Answer 24

1: They wish to undercut British trade in the region, as they have control over the disorganised factions
2: Napoleon is very popular with the French people, and they fear a coup, so they get him out of the way

Question 25

What were Napoleon’s goals in Egypt?

Answer 25

1: He seeks to secure French interests in the Region
2: He wishes to document the historical intricacies of the region: establishes the Institute of Egypt

Question 26

What were Napoleon’s victories & defeats during his Egyptian campaign?

Answer 26

Arrives July 1798 with 40,000 men
Gained some lands
After the Battle of the Pyramids, occupied Cairo

August, Battle of the Nile, Nelson (British) destroy the French Naval fleet
Bad supply lines cause the loss of half his men to plague & combat

Question 27

How did France aid the Irish Rebellion against Britain?

Answer 27

Aug 1798 land in Ireland
Attempted aid, overall failed
Sep defeat at the Battle of Ballinamuck
Oct, Battle of Tory Island, Heavy losses somewhat bring an end to French involvement

Question 28

When was the establishment of the Second Coalition?

Answer 28

Dec 1798
To combat French expansion
Spain backs France
Britain, Austria, the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples and a number of Germanic Monarchies allied with each other

Question 29

When does Napoleon depart from Egypt?

Answer 29

Aug 1799
Observing the vulnerability of France at the hands of the Second Coalition forces, Napoleon secretly sets sail for France from Egypt in the night

Question 30

What was the Coup of Brumaire?

Answer 30

9th Nov 1799
Napoleon met with joy at return from Egypt Abbe Siyes & Napoleon plan a coup to convince directory to establish a new body to draft a new constitution, using military pressure
Napoleon instead intended to use the coup to put himself into a position of power
The Directory was quickly replaced

Question 31

What was the Constitution of Year VIII?

Answer 31

Dec 1799
Declaration of the Consulate, a new system of government
System of ‘First Consul’ & 2 advisory consuls, despite plans for them to have checks on their powers
The legislative bodies consisted of the Conservative Senate (Replacing the council of Ancients) , the Tribunate (replacement for the Council of the 500) and the Legislative Body (Middle man between the two, that Napoleon gradually removed)

Question 32

What was the plebiscite of 1800?

Answer 32

Feb 1800
Mass vote of faith appealing directly to the French people concerning the const of year VIII
99.9% of the voters (53% of which abstained) supported the new constitution, showing supposed widespread support for Napoleon, possibly preventing opposition
1.5 million votes added in the election process for the standing troops who were unable to vote

Question 33

When was the Revolutionary tribunal reorganised?
What was the effect of this?

Answer 33

Aug 1794
No. of guillotinings significantly decreased
Exile to Guiana, South America often used as an alternative

Question 34

When was the Revolutionary Tribunal abolished?

Answer 34

May 1795
After a year with ‘only’ 63 guillotinings

Question 35

When was the Law of Suspects repealed?

Answer 35

October 1795