Issues facing the directory

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  • The issues facing the Directory
    • The Rising of Germinal
      • A peaceful protest on April 1st 1795
      • 10,000 people marched on the Convention demanding bread
      • The arrival of the National Guard was enough to disperse the crowd
      • The Rising of Prarial
        • On May 20th 1795, a much more serious threat to the Convention occurred
        • A large crowd of sans-culottes surrounded the assembly, this time supported by some disloyal National Guard units, and demanding action on food shortages
        • The Convention made a minor concession to appease the crowd, agreeing to set up Food Commission to investigate the problem
        • The Convention was no longer willing to be forced into radical change by popular unrest, so it deployed 20,000 troops, from both the national guard and the regular army, to crush the insurrection. It succeeded in doing so making over 6000 arrests and forcing the crowd to disperse.
    • The Rising of Prarial
      • On May 20th 1795, a much more serious threat to the Convention occurred
      • A large crowd of sans-culottes surrounded the assembly, this time supported by some disloyal National Guard units, and demanding action on food shortages
      • The Convention made a minor concession to appease the crowd, agreeing to set up Food Commission to investigate the problem
      • The Convention was no longer willing to be forced into radical change by popular unrest, so it deployed 20,000 troops, from both the national guard and the regular army, to crush the insurrection. It succeeded in doing so making over 6000 arrests and forcing the crowd to disperse.
    • Currency
      • Inflation in 1795 and the result
        • The assignant had become worthless
        • In February 1796, the assignant was abolished and replaced with the paper mandate
        • However, the mandate had been valued against the assignant and quickly plummeted
          • 30 mandates to 1 assignant
        • In February 1797, the mandate was scrapped
        • The problem wit returing to a metal currency was that there wasn't enough in circulation
          • Vast quantities had been hoarded away for safety during the Revolution and many emigres took their money with them when they fled France
        • There went from too much money being in circulation prior to 1797, too having too little
        • Deputies were paid in grain, employees demanded their payment in bread and farmers paid their land lease in produce
    • State debt
      • In September 1797, the directory attempted to tackle the problem of state debt by declaring themselves bankrupt
      • They stated that the only way they'd be able to pay back creditors was through state bonds which could be used to purchase biens nationaux
      • Two-thirds of state debt was wiped out, reducing the governments annual expenditure by 160 million livre
      • Currency
        • Inflation in 1795 and the result
          • The assignant had become worthless
          • In February 1796, the assignant was abolished and replaced with the paper mandate
          • However, the mandate had been valued against the assignant and quickly plummeted
            • 30 mandates to 1 assignant
          • In February 1797, the mandate was scrapped
          • The problem wit returing to a metal currency was that there wasn't enough in circulation
            • Vast quantities had been hoarded away for safety during the Revolution and many emigres took their money with them when they fled France
          • There went from too much money being in circulation prior to 1797, too having too little
          • Deputies were paid in grain, employees demanded their payment in bread and farmers paid their land lease in produce
      • Taxation
        • The Directory began to reintroduce indirect taxations
        • The return of the gabelle was too far
    • Taxation
      • The Directory began to reintroduce indirect taxations
      • The return of the gabelle was too far
    • The Vendemiaire rising
      • Due to the Decree of two-thirds, many people felt the convention had failed to deliver them from poverty and famine, and were keen to see a new body elected
      • On October 5th 1795, a crowd of 25,000 gathered in Paris to seize power
      • While the rebels vastly outnumbered the government forces but had neither the leadership nor weaponry of the military
      • It was estimated that 600 government troops and 800 rebels were killed
      • It was seen to be a royalist uprising but it is not clear the motives of the rebels
      • The Coup of Fructidor
        • The were those in France who supported the émigré vision of completely restoring absolute monarchy however people with these views were a minority. However there were a significant number of politicians who favoured a return to constitutional monarchy. These moderate royalists were led by a former Feuilliant called Antione d’Andre
        • In the 1797 elections, royalists made significant gains in the elections. Out of the 260 Council seats being contested, 180 were won by royalists
          • While it did not give them a majority in the council, the Directory feared that its support base was rapidly being undermined
        • Letourneur was removed by ballot from the Directory to be replaced by Francois-Marie marquis de Barthelemy, who was known from his support for the royalists 
          • Carnot’s loyalties were beginning to be questioned as he became increasingly conservative over tim
        • The remaining directors felt as if they had to act to prevent royalist domination. So, on September 4th, they sought help from the army and Barras called upon Napoleon (who was fighting the Italian Campaign at the time) and General Augereau was sent to Paris with troops.The remaining directors felt as if they had to act to prevent royalist domination. So, on September 4th, they sought help from the army and Barras called upon Napoleon (who was fighting the Italian Campaign at the time) and General Augereau was sent to Paris with troops.
          • Carnot, Barthelemy and 53 royalists deputies were arrested
            • Emigres who had returned to France since the Coup of Thermidor were given two weeks to leaver or else they would face death. Many fled, others were hunted down and executed
              • The clergy, who were blamed for the spread of royalism had to swear an oath of loyalty, declaring their hatred for the monarchy. Those who refused were deported and almost 10,000 priests were sentenced to the ‘dry guillotine’
          •  Barras and the other Directors excused their actions by accusing the arrest of plotting a royalist coup. The remaining deputies of the Councils felt intimidated enough to approve the decree sanctioning the deportation of the prisoners to French Guyana
            • The council also approved another decree, cancelling the election results in numerus departments, resulting in the removal of 117 deputies of the council 
        • The Babeuf plot - 1796
          • Gracchus Babeuf was a journalist who advocated in redistribution of land in order to provide for all
            • He opposed the policies of the Directory
          • Babeuf was accused of leading a conspiracy of equals, a plot to overthrow the directory
          • His newspaper, 'Le Tribun du peuple' only had 500 subscribers and his influence outside Paris was limited
          • On May 10th, he was arrested and later sent to the guillotine
        • The Verona Declaration
          • On June 8th 1795, the child king, Louis XVII died while still imprisoned 
          • On June 24th the Comte de Provence declared himself King Louis XVIII in what is known as the Veronia declaration
            • He also stated his aim to restore the ancient regime in France, and restore all confiscated land to the émigré and the refractory clergy
              •  The declaration was not taken seriously and the Comte de Provence had misjudged the mood of France 
    • The Babeuf plot - 1796
      • Gracchus Babeuf was a journalist who advocated in redistribution of land in order to provide for all
        • He opposed the policies of the Directory
      • Babeuf was accused of leading a conspiracy of equals, a plot to overthrow the directory
      • His newspaper, 'Le Tribun du peuple' only had 500 subscribers and his influence outside Paris was limited
      • On May 10th, he was arrested and later sent to the guillotine
    • The Coup of Fructidor
      • The were those in France who supported the émigré vision of completely restoring absolute monarchy however people with these views were a minority. However there were a significant number of politicians who favoured a return to constitutional monarchy. These moderate royalists were led by a former Feuilliant called Antione d’Andre
      • In the 1797 elections, royalists made significant gains in the elections. Out of the 260 Council seats being contested, 180 were won by royalists
        • While it did not give them a majority in the council, the Directory feared that its support base was rapidly being undermined
      • Letourneur was removed by ballot from the Directory to be replaced by Francois-Marie marquis de Barthelemy, who was known from his support for the royalists 
        • Carnot’s loyalties were beginning to be questioned as he became increasingly conservative over tim
      • The remaining directors felt as if they had to act to prevent royalist domination. So, on September 4th, they sought help from the army and Barras called upon Napoleon (who was fighting the Italian Campaign at the time) and General Augereau was sent to Paris with troops.The remaining directors felt as if they had to act to prevent royalist domination. So, on September 4th, they sought help from the army and Barras called upon Napoleon (who was fighting the Italian Campaign at the time) and General Augereau was sent to Paris with troops.
        • Carnot, Barthelemy and 53 royalists deputies were arrested
          • Emigres who had returned to France since the Coup of Thermidor were given two weeks to leaver or else they would face death. Many fled, others were hunted down and executed
            • The clergy, who were blamed for the spread of royalism had to swear an oath of loyalty, declaring their hatred for the monarchy. Those who refused were deported and almost 10,000 priests were sentenced to the ‘dry guillotine’
        •  Barras and the other Directors excused their actions by accusing the arrest of plotting a royalist coup. The remaining deputies of the Councils felt intimidated enough to approve the decree sanctioning the deportation of the prisoners to French Guyana
          • The council also approved another decree, cancelling the election results in numerus departments, resulting in the removal of 117 deputies of the council 
      • The Verona Declaration
        • On June 8th 1795, the child king, Louis XVII died while still imprisoned 
        • On June 24th the Comte de Provence declared himself King Louis XVIII in what is known as the Veronia declaration
          • He also stated his aim to restore the ancient regime in France, and restore all confiscated land to the émigré and the refractory clergy
            •  The declaration was not taken seriously and the Comte de Provence had misjudged the mood of France 
    • War
      • The upkeep of forces was costly, and it has been estimated that French profits from the Revolutionary War od 1792-99 amounted to about 360 million francs, however, little of this found its way back to Paris
      •   Only one quarter of the indemnities, some of 200 million livre, from the campaign was sent back to the Directory 
      • By 1795, France had made significant military gains. Napoleon was given command of the armies in the revolutionary wars in 1795. He began the Italian campaign on 11th April 1796
      • Napoleon ignored instructions from the Directory and chose instead to negotiate personally the terms of Austria’s surrender
      •  This was no insignificant act, as the terms were to redefine the boarders and territories of Europe. The terms of surrender were formalised in the Treaty of Campo-Formio (October 1797). The directory was furious that Napoleon had acted independently in determining foreign policy. 

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