Chapter 14: The Establishment of the Directory
The constitution of the Directory – the Constitution of Year III (drawn up in August 1795, agreed in
September and put into effect in November 1795)
The new constitution that created the Directory of November 1795 had been drawn up by the Thermidorians in
August 1795 and ratified by plebiscite in September. It reflected a desire for stability and moderation.
Directory of Five:
- Five Directors would be chosen by the Ancients from a list
provided by the Five Hundred
- The Directors formed the executive and appointed ministers
- One member, chosen by lot, would retire each year and none
could also sit in the Councils
Council of Five Hundred: Council of Ancients:
- Comprised deputies over the - Comprised 250 married or
age of 30 widowed men over 40
- Proposed and drew up all - Examined and approved or
legislation but did not vote on it rejected legislation, but did not
propose it
Elections: these would take place annually, with a third of the
deputies stepping down each year
The rule on taxation
meant that only
citizens who owned
Electors: those paying a certain sum in taxation were eligible to
or rented property
sit in the assemblies. This created an electorate of roughly a million, and paid a set amount
of which 30,000 were eligible to sit in the resulting assemblies of tax each year could
vote/sit in the
assemblies
Voters: all male taxpayers over 21 were ‘citizens’ who could vote;
this meant 5.5 of 8 million adult males were entitled to vote
Having survived the Terror, the Thermidorians wanted to create a government which fulfilled the moderate
intentions of 1789 and preserved the power of the bourgeoisie, rather than providing for the more radical aims
of the broad-based 1793 constitution. They used ancient republican models, examining the constitutions of
Rome and Sparta for their inspiration, but their overriding concern was to uphold the ‘rule of law’ and avoid the
concentration of power in the hands of a single person or group. They did this by building a system of ‘checks
and balances’ into their creation. These ensured that power in one area was always counterbalanced by that
elsewhere.
When the constitution was agreed in September 1795, the Convention also decreed that 2/3 of the placed in the
Council of Five Hundred and of the Ancients would go to existing deputies from the Convention (as they have
experience). In the course of its 4 years, 13 men served as Directors. The most memorable names among these
are:
Lazare Carnot, who was spared exile after Thermidor despite his part in the Committee of Public
Safety, because of his role in organising the war
Emmanuel Joseph-Sièyes, who was elected in 1795 but did not agree to serve until 1799
The constitution of the Directory – the Constitution of Year III (drawn up in August 1795, agreed in
September and put into effect in November 1795)
The new constitution that created the Directory of November 1795 had been drawn up by the Thermidorians in
August 1795 and ratified by plebiscite in September. It reflected a desire for stability and moderation.
Directory of Five:
- Five Directors would be chosen by the Ancients from a list
provided by the Five Hundred
- The Directors formed the executive and appointed ministers
- One member, chosen by lot, would retire each year and none
could also sit in the Councils
Council of Five Hundred: Council of Ancients:
- Comprised deputies over the - Comprised 250 married or
age of 30 widowed men over 40
- Proposed and drew up all - Examined and approved or
legislation but did not vote on it rejected legislation, but did not
propose it
Elections: these would take place annually, with a third of the
deputies stepping down each year
The rule on taxation
meant that only
citizens who owned
Electors: those paying a certain sum in taxation were eligible to
or rented property
sit in the assemblies. This created an electorate of roughly a million, and paid a set amount
of which 30,000 were eligible to sit in the resulting assemblies of tax each year could
vote/sit in the
assemblies
Voters: all male taxpayers over 21 were ‘citizens’ who could vote;
this meant 5.5 of 8 million adult males were entitled to vote
Having survived the Terror, the Thermidorians wanted to create a government which fulfilled the moderate
intentions of 1789 and preserved the power of the bourgeoisie, rather than providing for the more radical aims
of the broad-based 1793 constitution. They used ancient republican models, examining the constitutions of
Rome and Sparta for their inspiration, but their overriding concern was to uphold the ‘rule of law’ and avoid the
concentration of power in the hands of a single person or group. They did this by building a system of ‘checks
and balances’ into their creation. These ensured that power in one area was always counterbalanced by that
elsewhere.
When the constitution was agreed in September 1795, the Convention also decreed that 2/3 of the placed in the
Council of Five Hundred and of the Ancients would go to existing deputies from the Convention (as they have
experience). In the course of its 4 years, 13 men served as Directors. The most memorable names among these
are:
Lazare Carnot, who was spared exile after Thermidor despite his part in the Committee of Public
Safety, because of his role in organising the war
Emmanuel Joseph-Sièyes, who was elected in 1795 but did not agree to serve until 1799
