The Directory
The Directory, established by the Constitution of Year III in October 1795, was a five-man executive that governed France for four years following the Thermidorian reaction, representing the moderate bourgeoisie's attempt to consolidate the gains of the Revolution while avoiding both Jacobin radicalism and royalist reaction. Chronically unstable, the regime survived through repeated coups against its own legislative chambers and depended increasingly on military victories abroad — particularly Napoleon's Italian campaigns — to generate the revenue and prestige it could not obtain through legitimate governance. Its corruption, inefficiency, and dependence on the army made it vulnerable to the Brumaire coup of 1799.
- Year: 1795 CE
- Category: Political
