| Zusammenfassung: | The French Revolution eliminated the ancien régime's criteria for becoming a general----wealth, aristocratic privilege, and service seniority. During the Terror the War Ministry attempted to sans-culottiser the officer corps by placing political and social criteria above experience and talent. This reduced the overall quality of generals to its revolutionary nadir. After 9 Thermidor II, the Convention sought to improve officer professionalism by starting with a massive reorganization of the corps of generals in the spring of 1795. A close look at the upheavals in army command during the Thermidorian Convention reveals both considerable progress toward professionalism and the deleterious effects of political instability. Although various purges and reinstatements preserved civilian supremacy, Thermidorian efforts to establish talent, expertise, and bravery as the determining factors for active duty were compromised by arbitrary appointments that promoted factionalism, fostered disdain for civilian supremacy, and corroded professionalism. This jeopardized the future of democratic republicanism under the Directory.
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