DIRECTORY. On the death of Robespierre, in 1794, a reaction commenced in the convention itself, as well as throughout all France, against the sanguinary excesses of the Terrorists. Ultimately a new constitution—that of the year 3 (1795)—gave birth to a new government, composed of a legislative body divided into two councils—the council of live hundred, whose function was to propose laws; and the council of the ancients, whose function was to pass them. The actual executive power was intrusted to five members chosen from both sections, and who sat at the Luxembourg. Their names were Lopeaux, Letourneur, Rewbel, Barras, and Carnot. These five constituted the Directory. They assumed authority in a moment of immense peril. France was environed with gigantic adversaries, while distrust, discontent, and the malice of rival factions made her internal administration almost hopeless. The frantic heroism of her soldiers saved her from spoliation by the foreigner; and had all the members of the D. been patriotic and honest, she might have been saved also from spoliation by her own children. But, on the contrary, the home-policy of the D .was deplorable. The demoralization which had begun to characterize officials even in Danton's time, now seized almost every class. Banns, a representative of all the turpitude of the hour, set the example. The majority of the two councils were equally corrupt; and although there were some both in the councils and D. whose virtues and talents were unim
peachable, yet they were too weak to counteract the knavery of their associates. It soon became clear that France could not be reconsolidated by the fag-ends of the revolution. The power and skill requisite for such a herculean work must be sought for elsewhere, among men who had received a nobler discipline than could be obtained in the political squabbles of the metropolis. Such was the thought of the abbe Sieyes. Be turned his eyes to the army, where a host of new and brilliant names had appeared—lloclie, Joubert, Brune, Richer, Desaix, Massena, Moreau, Bernadotte, Atimereau, Bonaparte. Sieyes propounded his plan for the overthrow of the D., and the establishment of a consulate, that should be, in reality, a monarchy under republican forms, first of all to Moreau, who was frightened by its audacity; then to Bernadotte, whose excessive caution hindered him from approving of it; then to Augercau, who could not under stand it; and finally to Bonaparte, on his return from Egypt. The last admired the project; a conspiracy was rapidly formed; all those functionaries who had been promised places by the D., but had not received them, offered their aid; and by the coup cretat of the 18th Brumaire (q.v.), an end was put to a government of weakness, immorality, and intrigue. It was succeeded by the consulate (q.v).