Transcript Napoleon Bonaparte – Hero or Tyrant?

Napoleon Bonaparte – Hero or
Tyrant?
How did Napoleon take power?
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Gained military experience and proved to be a
leader
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As a young boy, he was sent to military school
When the Revolution broke out, he joined the army of the
new government
In October 1795, Napoleon defended the delegates at the
National Convention
1796, appointed to lead a French army against the forces of
Austria
His “Coup d’Etat” (what does this word mean??)
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By 1799, the Directory lost control
Napoleon’s friends urged him to seize political power, so he
did
Napoleon’s Government
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Established a group of three consuls, one of
whom was Napoleon.
Took the title of the first consul, and assumed
the powers of a dictator.
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People accepted his power because he finally brought
peace to France
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In 1802, Britain, Austria, and Russia signed peace
agreements with France
Napoleon Rules France
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Restoring Order at Home
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He kept many of the changes of the Revolution and
supported laws that would strengthen the central
government
First task – improve the economy
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Set up an efficient method of tax collection
Established a national banking system
Then, he took steps to end the corruption and inefficiency of
the government
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Dismissed corrupt officials
Set up lycees, or government-run public schools, to provide
the government with trained officials.
Napoleon Rules France
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Restoring Order at Home
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He disregarded the changes the Republic made towards
religion
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Signed the concordant with Pope Pius VII which recognized
the influence of the Church, but rejected Church control in
national affairs
Napoleonic Codes
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Comprehensive system of laws
Gave the country a uniform set of laws and eliminated many
injustices
It limited liberty and promoted order and authority over
individual rights.
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For example, freedom of speech, which was established during
the Revolution, was restricted under the code
Restored slavery in the French colonies of the Caribbean.
Napoleon Creates an Empire
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1804, Napoleon decided to make himself emperor, and the French
voters supported him
He crowns himself, indicating he was more powerful than the
Church
He wanted to be more than just the emperor of France.
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Envisioned an empire including, Louisiana, Florida, French Guiana, and
the French West Indies but there is a minor set back…
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Napoleon decided he wanted to take back the colony of Saint Domingue (Haiti)
The people of Haiti under the leadership of Toussaint L’Overture demanded
their freedom and a civil war erupted
French forces were devastated by disease and the Rebels were fierce fighters
Expedition was a failure and Napoleon decided to cut his losses in America
He sells the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million in 1803.
This will actually benefit Napoleon because:
(1) he would gain money to finance operations in Europe
(2) punish the British because it would assure the power of the United
States.
Napoleon Creates an Empire
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Conquering Europe
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He already annexed the Austrian Netherlands and
parts of Italy and set up a puppet government in
Switzerland
Continued to conquer his enemies
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His battlefield successes forced the rulers of Austria,
Prussia, and Russia to sign peace treaties.
Able to build the largest European empire since
the Romans (MAP)
Battle of Trafalgar
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Only major enemy left undefeated with the great
naval power of Britain
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Battle of Trafalgar
Only major battle Napoleon lost
 Battle took place off the southwest coast of Spain
 British commander, Horatio Nelson, split the larger French
fleet, capturing many ships
 The destruction of the French fleet had two major results:
(1) Ensured the supremacy of the British navy for the next 100
years.
(2) Forced Napoleon to give up his plan of invading Britain.
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The French Empire
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By 1812, the only areas of Europe free from
Napoleon’s control were Britain, Portugal, Sweden,
and the Ottoman Empire
He also controlled numerous independent countries
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Spain, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, and a number of
German kingdoms in Central Europe
The rulers in these countries were his puppets
At this point the French Empire is HUGE but it is very
unstable
After 1812, it will quickly fall to pieces
Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
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Napoleon’s Costly Mistakes
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The Continental System
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Napoleon set up a blockade to prevent trade and
communication between Great Britain and other European
nations
Supposed to make continental Europe more self-sufficient and
to destroy Great Britain’s commercial and industrial economy
Failed
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Smugglers were able to bring cargo from Britain into Europe
– It weakened British trade, it did not destroy it
Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
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The Peninsular War
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Napoleon invaded Portugal to force acceptance of the Continental
System
The Spanish people protested and in response, Napoleon
removed the Spanish king and put his own brother on the throne
This angered the Spanish people and inflamed nationalistic
feelings
Bands of peasant fighters, guerrillas, along with British troops
struck at French armies in Spain
Napoleon lost about 300,000 men
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Weakened the Empire.
In Spain and elsewhere, loyalty to one’s own country started to
become a powerful weapon against Napoleon
Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
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The Invasion of Russia
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In 1812, alliance between Russia and France broke down
June 1812, Napoleon and his Grand Army (420,000 men) marched into
Russia
As Napoleon advanced, Alexander pulled back his army
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Napoleon arrives in Moscow and the city was in flames
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During their retreat, they practiced a scorched-earth policy
They stay in city until the middle of October when he decided to return to France
During retreat soldiers suffered from the snow and temperature and
Russian raiders attacked Napoleon’s ragged, retreating army
Many soldiers were killed or died from their wounds and even more died
from exhaustion, hunger, and cold
Retreat from Moscow devastated the Grand Army to only 10,000 soldiers.
Napoleon’s Downfall
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Because Napoleon was weak Austria, Britain,
Russia, Prussia, and Sweden joined forces against
him
Napoleon managed to raise another army.
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They were untrained and ill prepared for battle
Allied forces easily defeated his army.
April 1814, he accepted the terms of surrender and
gave up his throne
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He was given a small pension and exiled to Elba
The Hundred Days
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Louis XVIII (Louis XVI’s brother) assumed the throne.
The new king quickly became unpopular among his subjects,
especially peasants
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Napoleon escapes from Elba and landed in France in March
1815
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Worried he would undo the Revolution’s land reforms
Within days he was again the emperor of France.
European allies quickly responded.
British army prepared for battle near the village of Waterloo in
Belgium.
June 18, 1815, Napoleon attacked but the British army
defended its ground all day
The Prussian army arrives and together they attack the French
Two days later, Napoleon’s exhausted troops gave way and he
is defeated
Napoleon’s Legacy
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Napoleon was a military genius and a brilliant
administrator
However, all his victories and other
achievements must be measured against the
millions of lives that were lost in wars
Napoleon’s defeat opened the door for the
freed European countries to establish new
order