What weakened the Directory?

Aims

1. To explain structure of the Directory.

2. To assess reasons for the weakening of the Directory.

3. To form substantiated judgements regarding the most significant reasons for its collapse.

Structure of the Directory• Whole structure designed

to prevent role of dictator. 1 of the 5 directors retired each year.

• Strong distrust between the Directors, Council of Ancients and Council of 500.

• Directors controlled foreign policy, no control over the Treasury, which was controlled by the Councils.

• The Councils and the Directors were often split.

• Depending on the elections, voters returned émigrés, non-juring priests, royalists and left wing politicians.

• Led to split, conflicting system.

• Demonstrated by 1797 Coup of Fructidor, when the Councils were purged of royalists.

Results of Fructidor, 1797

• Army used to remove representatives from the Councils.

• Accused of plotting against the government.

• Directors then suspended freedom of press and wrote of 2/3 of France’s debt through declared bankruptcy.

Economy• Revolutionary zeal and belief

meant people accepted initial economic hardship.

• The Maximum was a law passed in 1793 to control food prices and force fair trading, thus attempting to stop inflation.

• When this ended in 1794, it led to huge inflation, rocketing food prices and anger on the streets – all of which the Directory inherited.

• Directory attempted to create new taxes to raise income, especially after declaration of bankruptcy.

• Taxes on windows and theatre tickets came in, but Directory stopped short of new gabelle.

• Bankruptcy did save France and allowed armies to continue fighting.

• Deficit reduced from 250m livres to 60m livres.

• The Directory did attempt to claw taxes back from émigrés and they replaced the destroyed assignats with a new currency, the mandats, which also collapsed soon after.

Social Unrest

Social Unrest• Increasing anger regarding

Directory and lack of action.• Following 1794 and the end

of the Terror, a White Terror took place across France with thousands of executions.

• Germainal and Prairial uprisings in April and May 1795 sparked by hunger, taxes and inflation.

• In October 1795 the Vendemiaire uprising saw Napoleon fire on protestors.

• Uprising started with support for royalists.

• 400 protesters died.• As a reward Napoleon was

made Commander of the Army of the Interior at the age of 26.

• There were also major revolts in the Vendee region that were eventually crushed.

First Coalition – 1793-1797• Spain, Holland, Austria, Prussia,

England and Sardinia vs. France.• France should have been beaten

easily, lacked experienced soldiers.

• Land campaigns saw French forces push the Coalition back and they captured Holland in 1793.

• Britain controlled the seas and France was damaged by the trading blockade.

• Coalition was also undermined by internal disputes.

• Directory was forced to maintain war footing to support economy.

• Huge anger over the Levee en masse and Jourdan’s Law in 1798.

• All unmarried able-bodied men between 18 and 25 were forced to join. This increased the number of men in the army, reaching a peak of about 1,500,000 in September 1794, although the actual fighting strength probably peaked at no more than 800,000.

• Huge numbers deserted the army.• Mainly targeted the peasantry.

Napoleon’s Role

Italian Campaign• Sent to Italy with 30,000 men in

1796. Supposed to be a distraction to support main army attacking Austria, led by General Moreau.

• Army were poorly equipped, underfed and poorly paid.

• Defeated the Austrians and signed the Treaty of Leoben, confirmed at Campio Formio in 1797.

• Done without reference to Directory and sent at least 50m livres to France from the campaign.

Egyptian Campaign• Napoleon convinced the Directors to

send him to Egypt to distract Britain. Aim was to disrupt British trade.

• Arrived in 1798 and trapped in Egypt after Nelson destroyed French fleet at Battle of the Nile.

• Had 25,000 men and scored impressive victories against Egyptian forces.

• French forces then entered Syria and captured coastal towns, despite disease spreading rapidly.

• Jaffa saw 1,300 Egyptian prisoners executed.

Which factor most weakened the Directory?

What must an AS Level essay contain?

Task

• Write out your allocated section in pairs, aim to consider how you can perfect the writing technique and use the mark scheme.

• After 15mins, we shall join these sections together and assess the essay together.

• Attempt to work out positive elements and areas for improvement.

What makes a “good” essay?