French Directory

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/french-directory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the executive power?Vested in a Directory of five members, with one Director replaced annually
2. What is the legislative structure?Bicameral legislature: Council of Five Hundred and Council of Ancients
3. What was the French Directory and how many leaders ran the government?The Directory was a government in France after the Revolution where five people shared the top job. Each Director served a five‑year term, and one new Director was chosen every year.
4. Why did France go to war during the Directory?France fought many wars to protect itself, spread its ideas, and get money and art from other countries. The wars helped France win places like Belgium and parts of Germany.

Constitution of the Year III: The foundational legal document that established the Directory and its governmental structure.
Collegial Executive: A system where executive power is shared by a group of individuals rather than a single leader.
Conspiracy of Equals: An early socialist plot led by Gracchus Babeuf aiming to overthrow the Directory and establish communal ownership.
18 Brumaire Coup: The coup d'état led by Napoleon Bonaparte that ended the Directory and established the Consulate.