Thermidorian reaction Flashcards
Following the overthrow of Robespierre who now emerged to take control?
The plain
Who was the plain?
Men who had gained from buying biens nationaux
They were also regicides involved in trial and execution of Louis so didn’t want monarchy and were attached to republic
Who was the plain joined by?
Many Montagnards who rejected former views and values
What were the people who had helped overthrow Robespierre ?
Thermidorians - including ex terrorists ,deputies of the plain, members of CPS and CGS
When did the Convention start to dismantle the machinery of terror ?
Between end of July 1794 and May 1795
How did the Convention dismantle the terror ?
Abolished the revolutionary tribunal
Released all suspects from prison
Repealed law of prairial
Closed jacobin club
How did the Covention end the dictatorship of CPS?
It decreed that 25% of members of CPS and CGS had to be changed each month
Paris commune abolished
August 16 committees were set up to take over CGS and CPS
Local govt power was passed again to moderates
What did Thermidorians do in relation to religion?
Renounced the Constitutional Church
When did the Convention refuse to pay clerical salaries ?
September 1794
Brought about first time of separation of church and state
What did the government do on 21 February 1795?
Govt restorer freedom of worship for all religions and formally ended persecution of religions wages during terror
Cult of supreme being also ended officially
When were price controls abolished?
December 1794
Why was the price controls being abolished a bad thing for the economy?
This led to assignation value falling and mass inflation
Government had to buy war materials at market prices and therefore had to print more assignats leading to inflation
Why was 1794 significant for the economy ?
Poor harvest led to grain shortages and rise in price of bread
Winter of 1794 also very bad
Bad economy lead to misery and discontent
What was the rising of Germinal ?
First demonstration 10,000 unarmed people marched to Convention and gained access to it demanding bread and release of CPS and CGS members imprisone during Thermidor
When national guards appeared demonstrators withdrew
When was rising of Germinal ?
1st April 1795
What happened in the aftermath of Germinal?
Repression was light
But to emphasise authority Convention sentenced leaders of CPS to be deported to Guiana
What was the rising of Prairial ?
More serious armed rising large crowd of housewives and workers and some national guards marched to Convention demanding bread however on the chaos a deputy was killed and crowd became hostile
How did the Convention react to the crowd at rising of Prairial ?
It confronted the crowd and there was threat of shootings but Convention solved it by agreeing petition to set up food commission
That evening National Guards arrived and cleared the assembly
What happened on 3 Prairial 1795?
Convention took offensive and rebel suburbs were surrounded with 20,000 troops of regular army who forced them to give up arms and canon
What repression followed Prairial?
Severe
40 Montagnards arrested and six executed
6000 militants disarmed and arrested
When was Prairial ?
20-22 May 1795. 1-3 Prairial
Why did Prairial fail?
Workers were divided No institution like Paris commune to coordinate Political inexperience Army intervention Loss of support from radical bourgeoise
What was the white terror?
An attack on ex terrorists and those who had done well out of the revolution by those who had suffered
White was colour of bourbons so implies it was royalist reaction
Who were participants of white terror?
Most were not royalist and had no intention of restoring the Bourbons or ancient regime
They wanted revenge on those who had been members of CPS and CGS
Who were the whites?
Victims of revolutionary tribunals
The White terror in Paris was carried out by?
Jeunesse doree -the gilded youth Young men dressed extravagantly following the restrictions of terror They were sons of those suspected ,middle class youths, clerks
What did the gilded youth do in the White terror in Paris?
Formed gangs to beat up and intimidate jacobins and sans culottes
What was the White terror in vendee like?
More violent
Guerrilla warfare was revived following repression of Year II
What was Chouan?
Movement in spring 1794
Guerrilla groups roamed the countryside attacking grain convoys and destabilising local government by murdering officials
What happened June 1795 regarding the Chouan ?
Émigrés joined the Chouans and General Hoche was sent to eradicate them and by 1796 government authority was restored
What was White terror in the south like
These gangs were not considered high threat so little was done to crush them
However this meant their authority spread
When was the constitution of year II agreed?
August 1795
What were main terms of Constitution of year II?
All males over 21 paying direct taxes could vote in primary assemblies to choose electors
Electors exercised real power who choose deputies they paid 150-200days labour
To prevent dictatorship thermidorians separated legislature and executive
What was wanted from the Constitution ?
Wanted to guarantee the features of the revolution of 1789 -abolition of privilege freedom of individual
Also wanted to ensure dictatorship of CPS would be impossible for future
What two chambers did legislature consist of?
Council of five hundred and council of ancients
What weere council of five hundred ?
All had to over 30
It initiated legislation and passed it on to council of ancients
No property qualification
What was the council of ancients
250 men over 40
Could approve or object bills but not introduce them
No property qualification
How often were elections?
Every year when a third of the members retired
What was the executive ?
Directory of five chosen by ancients from list drawn up by council of five hundred
What was the nature of the directory?
Five electors hold office for five years but one chosen by the lot had to retire each year
What was the role of directors
Could not initiate or veto laws not declare war and had no control over treasury
Had considerable authority in charge of diplomacy and military affairs and law enforcement
Ministers were appointed by and responsible to directors
What were the weaknesses of the constitution ?
Yearly elections meant instability
No means of resolving conflicts between legislature and executive
Councils could paralyse the directory by refusing to pass laws
Directory could not dissolve councils or veto laws
Why was the directory corrupted?
Because it could not dissolve councils so relied on unconstitutional methods like cancelling election returns or calling in army to solve disputes
How did the Convention avoid a royalist majority in elections?
It decreed that 2/3 of the Deputies to new councils had to come from exciting deputies in the Convention
When was the constitution submitted to a plebiscite
August 1795
Majority favoured
What did royalists want?
Wanted constitutional monarchists wanted return of limited monarchy and hoped for Louis’s son to be crowned king but he had died in June 1795
What did Louis brother do?
He declared himself king and issued Verona declaration on 24 June 1795
What were the terms of the Verona declaration?
Reactionary document made restoring monarchy more difficult
He promised restoration of ancient regime
Promised to return property to church and émigrés
It unintentionally boosted support Republic
Reasons for vendemiaire uprising
Verona declaration failed to gain mass support
Two thirds decree however shocked royalists
the conventions inability to deal with food shortages and inflation
So angry at conventions deputies getting into new givt
When was Vendemiaire uprising ?
5 October 1795
What happened at Vendemiaire uprisingV
Large royalist crowd of 25,000 gathered to march on convention and seize power
They outnumbered the troops but they the troops had canon and so crushed the rebellion under command of Bonaparte
What happened following the Vendemiaire uprising?
Light repression
Only two executed
Sectional assemblies abolished and national guard under control of Bonaparte to prevent more uprisins
