Paul Barras
Before the Revolution, the Vicomte de Barras led a luxurious life. After the fall of the king, he turned into a radical revolutionary. As a deputy of the Convention in Toulon, he established a reign of terror. But after returning to Paris, Barras lived in constant fear of prosecution. He escaped it only by taking a leading role in the overthrow of Robespierre. His decisive action on 9 Thermidor brought him a meteoric rise in politics. Shortly afterward, he became a member of the Directory. In this quasi-dictatorship of five men, he held his position until the end. He was the King of the Republic. When he sensed that the Republic was coming to an end, he remembered his corruptibility. Napoleon bribed him and forced him to resign. Barras spent the rest of his life indulging in luxury.
JK
1755 - 1829
- June 30, 1755 · Born in Fox-Amphoux.
- 1771 · Cadet in the Regiment of Languedoc.
- 1783 · After taking part in several colonial expeditions, he leaves the army.
- September 1792 · Deputy for the Var department in the National Convention.
- December 1793 · As a representative of the Convention in Toulon, he ruthlessly persecutes the enemies of the Revolution.
- July 27, 1794 · On 9 Thermidor, he is appointed by the Convention as commander-in-chief of the Paris troops. He succeeds in crushing the Commune’s resistance to Robespierre's arrest.
- October 5, 1795 · Successful suppression of a royalist uprising against the Convention with the help of the young Napoleon.
- October 31, 1795 · Barras is elected a member of the Directory, the new government of France.
- September 4, 1797 · Coup of 18 Fructidor: Barras consolidates his dominant position in the Directory.
- November 9, 1799 · He resigns from the Directory, thereby enabling Napoleon’s rise to power. Barras withdraws into private life.
- January 29, 1829 · Death in Chaillot.
Quotes
Barras had only one principle — that of having none.
François-Auguste Mignet, French historian (1796–1884).
Barras cared only about making money. He maintained the most suspicious connections and was ready to sell himself to anyone, even to the Bourbons.
Napoleon on Saint Helena.
Liberty may have even more to complain about slaves than about tyrants. But the difference is subtle, for the foundation of character is the same in both kinds of men. Only position makes the distinction.
Paul Barras.
Talk to Barras
Question →
Enter your question above.
External links
Le Moniteur
Quartidi 14 thermidor, l'an 2 de la République Française une et indivisible
(August 1, 1794)
The Directory (1797): Merlin, La Reveilliere-Lepeaux, Barras, François de Neufchâteau, Reubell
