Contrary to common beliefs, Napoleon did not actually represent the ideals of the French Revolution. Under King Louis XII’s reign from 1789, the French Revolution had begun because people were fed up with with the way France was socially, politically,and economically. There was an imbalance of power mainly the 3rd estate was being misrepresented. So the people revolted creating a revolution. Napoleon a military general at the time gained power and slowly begun to gain enough to controlled power of France.(insert Thesis statement) Napoleon undermined the ideals of the revolution. Napoleon supported the system of hereditary power. This was very contradicting to the ideal of the French Revolution which discourages hereditary privilege. “ It was clearly seen that for a great nation the only salvation lies in hereditary power, which can alone assure a continuous political life which may endure for generations, even for centuries.” …show more content…
Napoleon had complete control there was no freedom of press or speech. “All newspapers which shall insert articles opposed to the social compact… Even when these articles may be extracts from foreign periodicals,shall be immediately suppressed.” If what you said did not support the revolution it would not last long. No one was actually had freedom of speech it was more like Napoleon approved speech. An example of an author that Napoleon exiled from france was Anne-Louise-Germaine de Stael. He didn’t like what she was writing so he exiled her to Germany. According to the age of Napoleon it says that “Napoleon shut down 60 of France’s 73 newspapers.” That is a very large amount to have suppressed. There were also a lot of requirements for a newspaper such as it needed to be approved by the chief of police. Lastly Freedom of speech was also being declined. Mail was opened by the police. This is how Napoleon suppressed freedom of press and
During his rule, Napoleon called himself an emperor, but he acted like the kings before him. The French Revolution stood against the idea of one leader with all authority over one country and promoted liberty, equality, and fraternity. The French citizens did not glorify Napoleon as a king because he gave his people sovereignty over political situations. He used plebiscites or voting to spread equality, however, the majority was always in favor of Napoleon. This happened due to fear because he was the strongest man in Europe at the time. He idolized himself as a hero, saving the French people from the
While Robespierre and Napoleon violated the French Revolution’s ideal of liberty, both rulers preserved the ideal of equality. Neither Robespierre nor Napoleon led with freedom from absolutism, but both spread the nationalist zeal during or after the Reign of Terror. There are also other ideals of the revolution preserved and undermined by the two rulers, including will for a limited government, religious toleration, and protection of individual rights. Specifically, Robespierre preserved the ideal of equality during the Reign of Terror.
After the Reign of Terror, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to authority. When he was in power, Napoleon only kept some of the ideas that were used in the French Revolution. For example he was for equality, but disregarded liberty. Napoleon started many wars for France, in hopes of gaining land. France did win some land, but more times than not France lost the wars, putting them into extreme war debt.
...poleon was in power. Many important civil liberties were taken away, like the freedom of speech and press. Slavery was reestablished, to the chagrin of many. Women’s rights were dealt a huge blow. After the gains women had made during the revolution, they were stripped away by Napoleon and women were once again expected to be subordinate and subservient to the men in their household. The biggest loss was the loss of a republic. No longer were the rulers of France selected by the public. The king had been replaced by a king in all but name.
French citizens did not dare question his authority, as they respected him more than their former absolute monarch, King Louis XVI. During Napoleon’s reign, France participated in many gruesome battles, building a reputation as one of the most powerful countries in Europe. Napoleon’s armed forces carried the nationalistic ideologies of the French revolution. Soon, nationalism would be regarded a political epidemic poisoning neighbouring kingdoms and empires, many of which were multi-nation states. Collective groups who were forced to co-exist with one another were outraged, as they believed that they all deserved their own territory and sovereignty. If the revolution was able to transform France into the most powerful nation on the continent, why wouldn’t it work out for everyone else? Soon enough, nationalism would be dividing nation-states rather than unifying
Napoleon was able to grant French citizens natural rights, which was the main purpose of the Revolution, and use this to better society as a whole. For example, he used a plebiscite, vote of the people, to approve a new constitution that gave him power to rule. By getting the consent of the people to rule and to create and pursue certain actions in government, Napoleon used the governed as a ruling mechanism; he didn't ignore them. He created a system of meritocracy (what the people wanted): granting positions to those that deserved them based on qualifications, not just handing out jobs to people of higher social status giving “careers open to talent (Coffin and Stacey, 494).” Finally through his supremacy as French ruler,...
One of the main results of the revolution was the ancient regime was abolished. This started to make France’s people more equal. A document was created that outlined France’s peoples rights, it was called the declaration of the rights of man and the citizen. People were to be born with equal rights (doc 4). Many of the “rights” given in this document were not truly given to the people of France. There was supposed to be freedom of speech, (doc 6) but the papers were monitored and people could not support certain things without fear of imprisonment. People were arrested for having different views from those in power (doc 5).This did not create complete equality in France but it was a start. Also, a republic was set up in France for a very brief time. The republic was in place after the death of Louis XVI, and then after Napoleon was removed from power. The French revolution not only had affects on people in France, but also in many of the surrounding countries. The French revolution had many impacts on the countries outside of France. When Napoleon came to power in 1799 he started a conquest. He was able to conquer much of Italy and germany among the many other countries he was able to take control of. When he took power somewhere he imposed his own political code. Even after the countries were freed from France, some did not immediately get rid of his laws. Some cities like Naples kept is for a while (doc 7). This was just one of the several ways in which the French revolution affected surrounding
Unlike the leaders of America, the leaders of the French did not turn out to be as positive for the country. In fact, some of these leaders caused much more harm than good. These leaders taught the French people more about what type of government would be the best option for them. One of the most radical, and extreme leaders was Maximilien Robespierre. The duration of his dictatorship was known as "Reign of Terror." He demanded a republic and soon after his demands; the monarchy was overthrown. He also felt that a constitutional government would have to wait until all the enemies of the revolution have been eliminated. To accomplish this task, he murdered close to 40,000 people, most by guillotine, and some sentenced to life in jail. The Reign of Terror was one of the most controversial, and terrifying phases of the Revolution. Some French colonists thought it to be a path to democracy; others thought it was just a attempt for Robespierre to assume dictator. The other great leader was Napoleon Bonaparte. He believed that the only way to have control in France was to put a limit on democracy. Over a period of time Napoleon 's party overthrew Robespierre 's party. Soon enough, Napoleon was dictator of France. The French soldiers who fought in the American Revolution came back from the war with new ideas and reason for revolution. These ideas included the right to take up arms against tyranny, all men should
Women did not enjoy equal rights under his rule. For example, Napoleon's law of the family monarchy dictated that a man could file for divorce on grounds of adultery. On the other hand, a man had to cohabit with his mistress for two years before a woman could justify a divorce. As it can be seen, Napoleon's rule wasn't completely successful since he had failed to ensure equality for all French citizens.
If Napoleon betrayed the revolution, then he betrayed the ideals of Liberty, equality and fraternity. For it is ideals rather than realities that Napoleon allegedly betrayed. The reality of the French revolution is 8 periods of constant change and successions of policies and leaders, with each new leader and party bringing amendments to the revolution. Napoleon’s “coupd’e`tat of 18 brumaire was an insurance against both Jacobin revolution and Royalist restoration.” The French people expected Napoleon to bring back peace, order and to consolidate the political and social conquests of the Revolution. Napoleon considered these conquests to be “the sacred rights of property, equality and liberty.” If Napoleon gained power with the promise of upholding the principals of the French Revolution how did he betray the revolution? Many historians argue that Napoleon was an effective but ambitious leader. This ambition led to a dictatorship, which they consider Napoleons ultimate betrayal. However other Historians such as Tombs and Furet see Napoleon’s regime as “the most convincing though temporary solution to the political and ideological problems bequeathed by the Revolution.” Napoleons dictatorship can also be considered a natural progression from the authoritarian nature of the French revolution. One idea is that is undebatable is - if Napoleon betrayed the French Revolution, this means that his actions, motives and policies were disloyal to the Revolutionary ideals of Liberty, equality and Fraternity.
Napoleon's entire reign started with the constitution. After all the economic trouble in France there was a need for a new constitution, so Abbe Sieyes asked Napoleon to secure the success of the new constitution that was based on a principle of "confidence from below, power from above." Bonaparte was a very decisive individual, so he did not pay much attention to Sieyes and established his own Constitution of the Year VIII. This constitution made him the First Consul and had an overwhelming success. After convincing his subjects that the establishment of the dynasty was unavoidable, Bonaparte created another constitution, which made him an Emperor of the French. During the French Revolution, constitution was an important idea. In fact, all the revolutionary ideas were summarized in the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Napoleon pursued this concept.
The ideals of the French Revolution were "Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity," yet the methods that were used to accomplish these goals were extreme. For example, about 40,000 people were guillotined during the Reign of Terror. When Napoleon Bonaparte, a French army hero, seized control of the government in France in 1799 by a coup de'tat, he was looking to achieve peace in France by ending the Revolution. To do this, he had to be in complete control: he ruled like a dictator. However, he realized that he would have to allow the French people some of the freedoms and rights sought out during the Revolution. If he did not, he would have lost their trust and there could have been another revolution. Therefore, it is accurate to say, "Napoleon Bonaparte stabilized and united French society, yet supported the ideals of French Revolution."
One of Napoleon’s first areas of concern was in the strengthening of the French government. He created a strong centralized government and pretty much got rid of the hundreds of localized law codes that had existed during under the control of the monarchy. He also created an army of government officials. He had the entire country linked under a rational administration. He also was able to get an easy supply of taxes and soldiers under his new and improved French government. Before he could get very far, however, he had to gain public favor and shape the public opinion. To do this he used reforms of propaganda and thus caused people to think that they were getting the better end of the deal, but were actually, subconsciously giving Napoleon their approval for his actions. Among some of the methods he used for propaganda included getting all of the printers and book sellers to swear an oath to Napoleon and all newspapers fell under state control, so Napoleon gained access to almost everything that the citizens of France were able to read. Many of the gains from the French Revolution were kept, such as equality before the law, and careers open to talent. Some anti-revolution actions that Napoleon took included repressing liberty, restoring absolutism, and ending political liberty. He believed that allowing political freedom would end with a state of anarchy. He believed that he could solve these problems by acting in favor of the people’s interests as an enlightened desp...
With all the glory and the splendour that some countries may have experienced, never has history seen how only only one man, Napoleon, brought up his country, France, from its most tormented status, to the very pinnacle of its height in just a few years time. He was a military hero who won splendid land-based battles, which allowed him to dominate most of the European continent. He was a man with ambition, great self-control and calculation, a great strategist, a genius; whatever it was, he was simply the best. But, even though how great this person was, something about how he governed France still floats among people's minds. Did he abuse his power? Did Napoleon defeat the purpose of the ideals of the French Revolution? After all of his success in his military campaigns, did he gratify the people's needs regarding their ideals on the French Revolution? This is one of the many controversies that we have to deal with when studying Napoleon and the French Revolution. In this essay, I will discuss my opinion on whether or not was he a destroyer of the ideals of the French Revolution.
Napoleon Bonaparte was an interesting ruler in that he was compromised of attributes of both a tyrant and a hero. Napoleon had a strong following throughout his reign and even during his two exiles. He was the emperor of France between 1799 and 1815, following the fall of the Directory. Despite the efforts of the French Revolution to rid the country of an autocratic ruler, Bonaparte came to power as Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte I in 1804. He claimed that he preserved the goals of the Revolution, which can be easily argued as his rule became more dictatorial as it progressed. Despite his departure from some of the gains of the Revolution, he overall was a hero for the French people. Through his military ventures, political changes and social reform, Napoleon proved himself as a hero. This is not to say that there were aspects of his reign that were tyrannical, but he was overall beneficial for France.