| France decreed the establishment of a Helvetic Republic. The move was inspired by the Helvetic Committee in Paris, a revolutionary group headed by Frédéric-César de La Harpe, (1754–1838), a Vaudois whose great aim was the liberation of his homeland from the hated Bernese aristocracy, and by Peter Ochs of Basel, who drafted the Helvetic constitution and submitted it to the directory. The new republic was to be organized along French lines; with the exception of the areas annexed to France, all Swiss territory was organized into 23 cantons, with a centralized government consisting of an elected chamber of deputies (eight members from each canton), a senate (four from each canton), and a directory of five. The new constitution guaranteed freedom of the press, association, petition, and conscience. It also made manorial dues salable. This violated promises made to the peasantry, who anticipated the end of manorial dues. Under pressure, the government did eliminate some of the dues but undermined the Swiss tax base in doing so. | 2 |
