1795
Creation of the Institut de France (Institute of France) and of the Classe des Sciences Morales et Politiques (Class of Moral and Political Sciences)
The Convention created the Institut National des Sciences et des Arts (National Institute of the Sciences and the Arts), now the Institut de France in their penultimate meeting on October 25th, 1796. The purpose of the newly formed entity was to create a community of writers, scholars, and artists to fill the void left by the dissolution of the Royal Academies. The Institute consisted of 144 members divided into three sections: Physical Sciences and Mathematics (60 members), Literature and Fine Arts (48 members) and, for the first time, Moral and Political Sciences (36 members).