Thermidorians

The Thermidorians (French: Thermidoriens, named after the month of Thermidor)^[4] were a political group during the First French Republic. They formed in 1794 and dominated the last year of the National Convention, which during this phase became known as the Thermidorian Convention (French: Convention thermidorienne), and the Directory government until the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to power in 1799.

Thermidorians Thermidoriens
Leader	Paul Barras
Founded	27 July 1794 (1794-07-27)
Dissolved	10 November 1799 (1799-11-10)
Split from	The Mountain
Headquarters	Hôtel de Noailles, Paris
Ideology	Anti-radicalism[1] Classical liberalism[2] Conservative liberalism Republicanism (factions)[further explanation needed]
Political position	Centre[3]
Politics of France Political parties Elections

Paul Barras in official costume as a member of the Directory.

History

The group was named for the Thermidorian Reaction in 1794, when its members—led by Paul Barras, Jean-Lambert Tallien and Joseph Fouché — ousted Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, who were executed with their supporters on 27 July 1794. The deputies that supported the Reaction were the following:

• Moderates (members of The Marsh) like Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, Jean de Cambacérès and Boissy d'Anglas
• Montagnards opposite to Robespierre like Tallien and Jean-Baptiste Carrier
• Members of the Committee of Public Safety like Barras, Bertrand Barère, Lazare Carnot, Marc Vadier, Jean Amar and Collot d'Herbois

Over the following days, the Thermidorians took over the majority in the National Convention. In 1795 a new constitution was introduced, with the National Convention disestablished and the Directory becoming the new government. Like the constitution, the Thermidorians emphasised bourgeois values: conservative on social themes and liberal on economic themes.

After the election of 1795, the Thermidorians obtained the majority in the Council of Five Hundred, the new lower house. In Paris, the group created a headquarters in the Hôtel de Noailles and Paul Barras became its leader.

The Directory lasted until 1799, when the coup of 18 Brumaire brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power; the Directory was replaced with a Consulate with Bonaparte as First Consul. After the coup, the various parliamentary forces including the Thermidorians were disestablished.

Electoral results

Council of Five Hundred
Election year	No. of overall votes	% of overall vote	No. of overall seats won	+/–	Leader
1795	12,600 (1st)	42.0	242 / 750	–	Paul Barras
1797	Unknown (3rd)	Unknown	91 / 657	151
1798	Unknown (2nd)	29.3	387 / 807	296	Paul Barras

References

1. Howard G. Brown; Judith A. Miller, eds. (2002). Taking Liberties: Problems of a New Order From the French Revolution to Napoleon. Manchester University Press.
2. Katherine Harloe; Neville Morley, eds. (2012). Thucydides and the Modern World: Reception, Reinterpretation and Influence from the Renaissance to the Present. Cambridge University Press. p. 59. Post-revolutionary French liberals (Thermidorians and doctrinaires) devised the theory of the dichotomy between ancient liberty and modern liberty as a reaction against eighteenth-century republican ideology and its devastating consequences.
3. Ido de Haan; Matthijs Lok, eds. (2014). The Politics of Moderation in Modern European History. Springer Nature. p. 38. ... a number of centrist Thermidorians to detach citizens from the highly politicized environment of political clubs. ...
4. Abbott, John Stevens Cabot (1887). The French Revolution of 1789 As Viewed in the Light of Republican Institutions. Vol. II. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 379.