The Directory Flashcards
Who created the directory
The Thermidorians
When was the new constitution that created the Directory made
Drawn up August 1795
Ratified by plebiscite September 1795
What did the constitution of the directory reflect
A desire for stability and moderation
Three senior components of the directory
Directory of 5
Council of Five Hundred + Council of Ancients
Who could vote for/ in directory
All male taxpayers over 21
5.5 of 8 million adult males entitled to vote
When constitution agreed September 1795, convention decreed that who would make up the Council of Five Hundred and the Ancients
Two thirds of places in the C of 500 and of Ancients would go to existing deputies
Council of Ancients had to be
Married or widowed
40+
How many years did the Directory last
4 years
How many men served as directors across the 4 years
13 men
Examples of directors
Carnot
Sieyès
Barras
What did the effect of the directory seeking to limit the power of individual politicians
No prominent leader stood out which left the Directory without clear directions
And the blend of directors meant they couldn’t agree
Economic problems of directory
Thermidorians attempt to switch from a system of economic control to a more liberal environment resulted in acute inflation
By the end of 1795 the remaining assignats still in circulation had become virtually worthless
What bad things did the directory inherit
Unbalanced budget made worse by war
Problems of tax collection
Year of bad harvest
1795
Did the directory try to bring back paper money
Yes introduced mandats
A type of land purchase bond similar to the assignats
Metal currency & directory
They continued switch from paper to metal currency that had been begun in last months of the Thermidorian gov
After mandats failed and were withdrawn metal currency became only legal currency
Good side and downside to directory metal currency
Inflation halted but lack of coinage in circulation brought deflation which hindered trade
Directory’s attempt at controlling the currency laid the groundwork for the Bank of France set up under Nap 1800
Taxation system reform directory
Reorganised by Vincent Ramel, finance minister, making the assessment and collection of direct taxation more efficient and introducing property taxes on doors and windows
Revived octrois
Issuing of Mandats wrote off how much debt of government
Wrote off two thirds of government debt
Was rising of Vendémiaire Royalist or Jacobin
Royalist
Who was Babeuf
Jacobin
Called for a revival of the terror
Planned Conspiracy of Equals and was guilloteaned for it
Hypocrisy of directory regarding democracy
They used corrupt measures to quell Jscobins and royalists
Date of the Coup of Fructidor
4th Sept 1797
In April 1797 how did constitutional monarchists do in elections
They did well in April 1797 elections. They increased their number of seats to 182 so that more than one third of the total number of deputies had royalist sympathies
What made the directors do the Coup of Fructidor
After constitutional monarchists did well in elections and increased their number of seats to 182 so that more than one third of deputies had royalist sympathies and then in next elections they could do better
Which directors hatched plot of Fructidor
Barras, Rewbell and révellière-Lépeaux
