The French Debate: Constitution and Revolution, 1795-1800

by Marcus Ackroyd

Overview

This book explores the creation and career of the French Constitution of 1795, operative from the start of the Directory until Napoleon’s takeover in 1799. It explores the composition, history and replacement of the French Revolution’s third Constitution through a focus on the speeches and writings of four sets of political voices discernible in late 1790s France. The four main chapters present these voices as Thermidorians, Conservatives, Republicans and Brumairiens. They reveal the intensity and breadth of the debates generated by the permanent tension between the Constitution and the many ongoing conflicts of the Revolution. Set within and beyond the government and the two legislative chambers, the debates feature numerous conflicts central to the French Revolution including the composition and functions of the public powers, the legitimacy of exceptional laws, the regulation of the press and freedom of religion. This sustained focus on the relationship between the politicalnation and the Constitution provides a fresh reading of the political culture of the Directory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030952112
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	04/04/2022
Series:	War, Culture and Society, 1750-1850
Edition description:	1st ed. 2022
Pages:	253
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Marcus Ackroyd was educated at the Victoria University of Manchester and Balliol College, Oxford. He has worked as a researcher, translator and writer on a variety of literary, legal and academic projects.

Table of Contents

Introduction.- 1. 'The Constitution, the Whole Constitution, Nothing but the Constitution'.- 2. Minds Innocent and Quiet: Conservatives and the Private Domain, 1795-1797.- 3. Republicans, Revolution and Law, 1795-1798.- 4. Brumaire: The Politics of Experience.- Conclusion.