Transcript Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon
Bonaparte
French Revolution
The Directory
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Was an elected legislature with a five
member executive branch; almost all adult
males could vote
Was corrupt and innefficient- lasted for 4 yrs
Continued an aggressive foreign policy; war
and occupation of the Spanish Netherlands
Failed to deal with economic crisis effectively
Napoleon’s Rise to Power
Napoleon Bonaparte, ruthlessly ambitious, rose from army
captain to ruler of France in a very short time. He took
advantage of the turmoil of the French Revolution.
Napoleon Seizes Power
 Directory weak and inneffective
 Fear of royalists and European opposition
 November 1799- coup d’etat
 France to be led by Consulate
 Napoleon voted first consul, in effect a dictator
Napoleon promised order and stability, pledging to uphold key
reforms. The French gave up some freedoms for peace and
prosperity.
Napoleon Comes to Power
While Directory was in power, Napoleon Bonaparte gained a
strong reputation in France
 Crushed Austrian Army National Hero
 Lost in Egypt, but didn’t leave his men (never made
papers)
Returned to Paris, and with the help of two directors, seized
control of the government
A new constitution was formed
 Under smokescreen of universal male suffrage and
republican language, really established rule of Napoleon
 Established himself as First Consul
To Become a Dominant
Power…
 Napoleon
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Used:
Rehtoric
Nationalism
Force
 Combined
these 3 into a mighty weapon
for the expansion of France and his own
power
Why Napoleon Had Support
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The leading elements of the 3rd Estate (government
officials, landowners, doctors, lawyers, and bankers)
had achieved most of their goals by 1799
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Peasants had also gotten what they wanted
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Had abolished the heredity privilege, allowing people of
talent to achieve wealth and status
Were not really excited about sharing wealth with the
poor
Got their land
Got rid of feudal privileges
People were tired of the chaos, and Napoleon
appeared to be the man who would give them
security now that their privileges were won
Policies and actions of
Napoleon that were consistent
with the ideals of the
Revolution
 Equality
under the law
 No legal distinctions between the social
classes
 Merit based government offices
 Napoleonic Code
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Unified legal system
Freedom of religion and occupation
 All
citizens taxed equally
 Set up government –run schools
In Actuality…
 Napoleon
was a dictator
 There was censorship and repression
 Labor unions were forbidden
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Rights of employers far greater than workers
 Did
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not give full equality to all
Men had extensive control over their
families
Europe was at war throughout
the rule of Napoleon
 France
fought all of the major European
Powers during this period
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Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain
 They
 Came
had some difficulty working together
as close as anyone to conquering
all of Europe
Napoleon’s Empire at its
Height
Results of Napoleon and the
French Revolution
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In France, it ended the old regime permanently
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Great Britain was now the most powerful country in
Europe
The political boundaries of Europe were redefined
Began strong nationalism, which spread throughout
Europe
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Ended feudalism, established written constitution
Pride in one’s country
Started by Napoleon
After the defeat of Napoleon, general peace lasted
100 years
Ideas of revolution and radicalism spread throughout
Europe… and Latin America