The French Directory election of 1795 was held between 12 and 21 October 1795 (20 to 29

Vendémiaire Vendémiaire () was the first month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the Occitan word ''vendemiaire'' (grape harvester). Vendémiaire was the first month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne''). It started on the ...

, Year IV), which saw 1/3 of the directory elected according to the

Constitution of the Year III The Constitution of the Year III (french: Constitution de l’an III) was the constitution of the French First Republic that established the Executive Directory. Adopted by the convention on 5 Fructidor Year III (22 August 1795) and approved ...

. The election was the first election under the new Directory regime, and first election where the

Thermidorians The Thermidorians (french: Thermidoriens, named after the month of Thermidor), known also a Thermidorian Convention (french: Convention thermidorienne) was a French political group active during the French Revolution between 1794 and 1799. His ...

would win.

Background

During the summer of 1795, following the

Thermidorian Reaction The Thermidorian Reaction (french: Réaction thermidorienne or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term, in the historiography of the French Revolution, for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespie ...

, the members of the National Assembly began working on a new constitution which wouldn't favour any certain party or group, while providing more support to the 'Middle Group' (later becoming

The Plain The Plain (french: La Plaine), better known as The Marsh (french: Le Marais), was the majority of independent deputies in the French National Convention during the French Revolution. They sat between the Girondists on their right and Montagnards ...

) and avoiding any extreme use of power seen during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

. Under the

, 'The Directory' or ''La Directoire'' was established, which was a mix of the two former constitutions (1791 and 1793). The Directory was split into 'two branches' (upper house, the

Council of Ancients The Council of Ancients or Council of Elders (french: Conseil des Anciens) was the upper house of the French legislature under the Constitution of the Year III, during the period commonly known as the Directory (French: ''Directoire''), from 2 ...

made up of independent senior politicians; and the lower house, the

Council of Five Hundred The Council of Five Hundred (''Conseil des Cinq-Cents''), or simply the Five Hundred, was the lower house of the legislature of France under the Constitution of the Year III. It existed during the period commonly known (from the name of the e ...

, which was elected by land owning tax paying men) with a 'third executive' (the Directory Body). The new system is seen by many historians as imitating the British parliamentary system, while expanding on what is now known as the 'French System' of a separate executive and assembly, which work in conjunction however (this being a mix of Parliamentary and Presidential, today known as

Semi-presidential A semi-presidential republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it has a ...

). With the approaching election, the Royalists (known collectively as the Monarchists) hope to take advantage of the elections and see a return to the monarchy and campaign together in many regions. Fearing a monarchist outcome, the 'Republicans' (Jacobins, Thermidorians, and Montagnards) pass a law, known as the 2/3rds decree, which saw each of houses of the directory contain those many members from the convention. However, following the 13 Vendémiaire royalist insurrection, the 2/3rds principle became a hated law by members of the royalist and anti-radical parties.

Results

The 1795 began seeing a large swing in support of constitutional royalists, now known as 'Clichyens', named after the Clichy Club, especially following the

and failures of the government of the

French Constitution of 1793 The Constitution of 1793 (french: Acte constitutionnel du 24 juin 1793), also known as the Constitution of the Year I or the Montagnard Constitution, was the second constitution ratified for use during the French Revolution under the First Repu ...

. Though the Royalists disagreed on who they would want to see as the proper pretender to the throne, they did in-fact agree that legally being elected would be the only means which they would re-establish the monarchy. Then, they would call for the dissolution of the Directory, but see the recreation of the Constitution of 1791 with a new National Assembly. The Royalists were also divided on the future however, with the Absolutists (later known as the Ultra Royalists) preferring a return to the absolute ''

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

'' under Louis, Count of Provence (future Louis XVIII) and supported the now two-year old Quiberon Expedition. The 'Constitutionalists' (later known as the Liberals or

Doctrinaires During the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830) and the July Monarchy (1830–1848), the Doctrinals (french: doctrinaires) were a group of French royalists who hoped to reconcile the monarchy with the French Revolution and power with liberty. Head ...

) favoured a constitutional monarchy in addition to supporting individual rights and property in addition to freedoms and fair elections. The constitutionalists later began meeting at the 'Clichy Club', hence the new name, in addition to their nickname, the 'Clichyens'.

References

Works cited

* * * {{French elections Elections in France 1795 elections in France 18th-century elections in Europe French Directory 1795 events of the French Revolution 18th-century elections in France Legislative elections in France