French Directory Takes Power
- When
- 1794–1795
- Where
- Paris sections; Paris; French First Republic; Near Saint-Roch, Paris; Council of Ancients; Spain
- Episodes
- 8
The French Directory was constituted in Paris in autumn 1795, following the Constitution of Year III and October elections. On 31 October the Council of Ancients chose the first Directory, and on 2 November 1795 Rewbell was chosen by lot for the ceremonial first presidency, marking the new regime's installation and the decline of Sans-culotte influence.
Episodes
- Abolition of the Paris Section Committees
The Convention abolished the committees of the Paris sections, bastions of Jacobin power, on 24 August 1794.
- Jacobin Attempt to Seize Power in Paris
On 20 May 1795 (1 Prairial Year III), the Jacobins attempted to seize power in Paris.
- Peace with Spain: Treaty of Basel
On 22 July 1795 a peace agreement, the Treaty of Basel, was signed with Spain after the French army reached Bilbao.
- Referendum on the Constitution of Year III
The Constitution of Year III was adopted by referendum on 24 September 1795, paving the way for the Directory.
- Suppression of the Royalist Uprising
Government troops under Napoleon fired on insurgents near Saint-Roch in Paris on 5 October 1795.
- Elections for the New Councils
Elections held 12–21 October 1795, after suppression of a royalist uprising, returned 379 moderate republican former Convention members.
- First Directory Chosen by the Council of Ancients
On 31 October 1795 the Council of Ancients chose the first Directory from candidates submitted by the Council of Five Hundred.
- The Directory Takes Power
The Directory took power on 2 November 1795, with Rewbell chosen by lot for the ceremonial first presidency.
Background and detail
Background. The path to the Directory began with the dismantling of Jacobin strongholds: the committees of the Paris sections, bastions of the Jacobins that supplied manpower for demonstrations and invasions of the Convention, were abolished on 24 August 1794. The Jacobin club itself was closed on 12 November 1794, and the government crushed an armed uprising planned by the Jacobins and François-Noël Babeuf. In May 1795 the Jacobins attempted to seize power in Paris.
Constitutional Framework and Elections. The Constitution of Year III was adopted by referendum on 24 September 1795 and constituted after elections held 12–21 October 1795. A long document of 377 articles, it replaced the 1793 constitution. After the suppression of a royalist uprising in Paris, 379 members of the old Convention, mostly moderate republicans, were elected to the new legislature. Under the new Constitution, the Law of 19 Vendémiaire Year IV (11 October 1795) created the first twelve arrondissements of Paris, each with a new committee.
Installation of the Directory. On 31 October 1795 the Council of Ancients chose the first Directory from a list of candidates submitted by the Council of Five Hundred. The Directory formally took power on 2 November 1795, when Rewbell was chosen by lot for the entirely ceremonial first presidency. The new regime marked the decline of Sans-culotte influence in Parisian politics.
Early Context of the Transition. The transition period saw the Convention pursue peace: the Treaty of Basel was signed with Spain on 22 July 1795, and in 1795 Prussia, Spain and the Dutch Republic quit the War of the First Coalition. The Convention also abolished the maximum on 24 December 1794 while continuing to distribute bread and meat at low prices to Parisians.
Sources
- French Directory Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.