French
Revolution
The Second Moderate Stage (1795-1799)
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| GRADE LEVEL | SECTION | SUB-SECTION | DURATION |
| 8 | WORLD HISTORY | CHANGING
WORLDS: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION |
6 LESSONS |
French
Revolution |
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The
Reign of Terror had shown that although the Jacobins had saved the republic,
the radical way in which they did it was against the idea of civil freedom
(how could they be free if they were killed
for disagreeing with the government?) But the Revolution was not finished
yet. Once again, the members of the bourgeoisie were
in power, and their government was called the Directorate. In 1795 they
drew up another constitution,
one that returned re-instated the qualifications for voting rights that
were in the first constitution (1791).
The last phase was very moderate and no major changes were made. The economic problem was not solved, and pressure from the masses from the one side, and from those still supporting a monarchy on the other, continued. The foreign armies were still a threat. So, while the French government was weak, the only protection from the foreign armies had to could come from the army. The generals became more and more powerful and got more influence in the country. In 1799, one of them took over the government and returned France to autocratic rule. His name was Napoleon Bonaparte. Under his rule France’s economic problems were solved, and the foreign threat dealt with. But he declared France an empire, which meant that in a way France was now back to where it was before the Revolution. Ten years after it started, the French Revolution had finally come to an end.
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