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What was the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire?

The coup d'état of 18 Brumaire was the overthrow of the French revolutionary government that took place on November 9, 1799. (Brumaire was the name given to the second month of the French revolutionary calendar; 18 Brumaire was the date that coincided with November 9 on the traditional calendar.) As a result of the coup d'état, French general Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) emerged as one of three consuls (administrators) who would head the new government.

Events leading up to the coup d'état began while Napoleon was in Egypt and Syria, waging mostly successful military campaigns for France. The French people were becoming increasingly discontented with the Directory, the group of five men who had governed France since 1795. As his army was stranded in the Middle East, Napoleon learned that France might soon be under attack by the Second Coalition (the second of six...

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