Summary AS History: Napoleon Bonaparte overthrow of the Directory in 1799
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Course
A Level History
Institution
11th Grade
A fully summarised document that covers section 1.3 which is Napoleons overthrow of the government in 1799.
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1.3 Why was Napoleon Bonaparte able to overthrow the Directory in
1799?
v The aims and rule of the Directory
§ The death of Robespierre marked the end of Terror that had
characterised Jacobin rule.
§ The Convention drew up another constitution in August 1795.
§ To avoid complete domination, a ‘Directory’ was established.
§ Two Councils: the Council of Five Hundred (with 500 elected
members) proposed laws, while the Council of Ancients (with
250 members) accepted or rejected the proposed laws.
§ Now five ‘directors’, or senior ministers, who were selected by
the Ancients from a list drawn up by the Five Hundred.
§ responsible for choosing junior ministers, army leaders, tax
collectors and other officials.
§ The first five directors were all supporters of the revolution and
survivors of the Terror:
1. Barras - initially the most dominant, was a former nobleman
and an enthusiastic supporter of the revolution. Key player in
Robespierre’s downfall.
2. La Révellière-Lépeaux - was a strong republican and opponent
of the monarchy. He hated the Roman Catholic Church and was
determined to prevent the Church from re-establishing any
role.
3. Reubell - who was very knowledgeable on foreign affairs, was a
more moderate republican than the others, but had voted for
the execution of the king. He had been an opponent of
Robespierre and disliked the extremism of the Jacobins.
4. Le Tourneur - was an engineer and military expert.
5. Carnot - another member with a military background, was an
opponent of Jacobin extremism and an able organiser.
§ Those who designed the new constitution aimed to restore
stability and keep the achievements of the revolution.
, § It was to be a middle way between the extremes of the Terror
and the failings of the Ancien Régime.
§ The directors and the supporters, came from the middle class,
§ They had ended all the abuses of the Ancien Régime.
§ Now these men wanted to make sure they did not lose what
had been won at the cost of so much blood and hard work.
v The reputation of, and opposition to, the Directory
§ The Directory faced problems.
§ The treasury was empty and the government was almost
bankrupt.
§ The war was expensive and people resented the policy of
conscription.
§ Prices were rising, there was a shortage of currency and a
barter economy developed.
§ Importantly, the Directory had the support of the army.
§ If the royalists won back control of France, the war against
Austria would end and many soldiers would be unemployed.
§ The Directory also needed the army to put down uprisings by
those who resisted the revolution.
§ Anger against the government increased after a severe winter
in 1795–96 led to a shortage of food.
§ Riots broke out and there were calls for the 1795 Constitution –
by which the Directory ruled – to be abolished.
§ The Directory called on the army to suppress the revolts, and
the National Guard, formerly a focus of lower-class agitation,
was re-formed to bring it under government control.
§ The Jacobins in 1796 launched a plot to overthrow the
Directory and replace it with a ‘Republic of Equals’.
§ This was named the Babeuf Plot (named after Gracchus
Babeuf)
§ The rebels issued a newspaper to spread their ideas and gather
support, and began stockpiling weapons in preparation for the
fight ahead.
§ The Jacobin leaders were arrested and Babeuf was executed.
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