Device for controlling the opening and the closing of the contacts in an electrical apparatus comprising a manoeuvring crank linked in an articulated manner relative to a frame B, said manoeuvring crank being suitable for being driven in rotation by a control member of said control device between a first position corresponding to a closed position of the contacts and a second position corresponding to an open position of the contacts, a compression spring linked in an articulated manner by one, called first, of its ends, to a compression crank, and linked mechanically by its opposite end, called second, to the mobile contact, and a link rod linked in an articulated manner by one of its ends, called first, to said manoeuvring crank and linked mechanically by its opposite end, called second, to the mobile contact, said spring being suitable for being compressed by its first end, by said compression crank, to a so-called dead point crossing position from which the spring becomes motive and acts upon its decompression, on the mobile contact and the manoeuvring crank, so as to displace the mobile contact, the spring being compressed by the rotation of a manoeuvring shaft suitable for producing the driving of the compression crank, characterized in that the control member comprises a pumping device, and in that the direction of manoeuvring of the manoeuvring means of said pumping device takes place in a direction, upon the manoeuvring of the control device in the direction of the opening of the contacts, and in a direction opposite to the preceding direction upon the manoeuvring of the control device in the direction of the closing of the contacts, the changing of the direction of manoeuvring of said manoeuvring means of said pumping device being controlled by the compression spring cooperating with means (22, 23, 24, 25) for reversing the direction of manoeuvring when it passes beyond the dead point crossing position, and in that the pumping device P comprises the manoeuvring shaft suitable for driving the compression crank, a pumping lever mounted to rotate about the manoeuvring shaft, between a first position and a second position, said lever being returned into the first (or the second) position by return means of the lever, a so-called manoeuvring toothed wheel and a so-called retaining toothed wheel secured to the manoeuvring shaft, a pumping ratchet mounted to rotate relative to the pumping lever and returned by means for returning the pumping ratchet to the position of engagement with the manoeuvring toothed wheel so as to allow the driving of the manoeuvring toothed wheel when the lever is displaced from the first to the second position (or respectively between the second and the first positions), a retaining ratchet mounted pivotably linked relative to the frame B and returned by means for returning the retaining ratchet to the position of engagement with the retaining toothed wheel so as to prevent the rotation of the retaining toothed wheel and therefore of the manoeuvring shaft in the direction that is the reverse of the preceding direction, during the return of the pumping lever by the return means of the lever to the first position (or respectively the second position).