It is a great truism that the demise of the Directory was self-inflicted. The Directory refers to the fourth revolutionary government that came into power with the mandate of directing the course of the French revolution back to the founding principles of liberty, equality and fraternity.
The statement that it was more the weaknesses of the Directory than the power and ability of Napoleon that led to his rise to power does not hold much water. The Directory refers to the forth revolutionary government in France which ruled from 1795 to 1799. On one hand, the weaknesses of this government which include corruption and failure to revive France’s economy paved way for the surfacing of Napoleon while on the other hand, the military prowess, oratory skills as well as the opportunistic nature of Napoleon led to his rise to power.
The immediate aftermaths of the fall of the Jacobins was that, the National Convention moved in to restore order. The Jacobins themselves had arisen out of the National Convection as members of the Montagnards. But they had extreme views and violent tactics to save the revolution. These tactics included terror, dictatorship and the use of the law of the maximum.
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