Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power through a radical republic produced by the french revolution. He was able to do this through his immense military success and the resulting support from the population. He had painted himself to be a war hero, and the public believed it willingly. His subsequent downfall from power fittingly came from his major military losses. During the french revolution, Napoleon was a supporter, from afar, and let that influence his policies during his reign as Emperor. However, he also let the power go to his head and became the absolutism ruler that the revolution had fought against. But when comparing his rule to that of the the monarchy and the national assembly, it still stands out as the best of the three for his better …show more content…
He kept the ones that he agree with while taking away those that he did not agree with. Almost every part of French society was under his direct control. This included using spies and controlling the press and plays at the time. In his effort to make a better country, he instead created what everyone despised the most. This shows something that happens many times after a revolution. People often react very extremely to difficult situations, one of the most well-known example being the reign of terror. So when something like the reign of terror happens, all they want is stability and sometimes that instant stability comes at a price. For the moment, the initial cause was forgotten and people allowed Napoleon to gain absolute power because it was easy. People forget and move one very quickly; Napoleon’s rise to power is a good example of that on a large scale. As there were many changes in the French government during the end of the 18th century, it begs the question, which system of government was France better off under? Towards its end, the French monarchy greatly struggled to support its growing population. Poverty and starvation were becoming increasingly more common, which was, in large part, caused
Strength and leadership and a keen sense of political awareness helped Napoleon Bonaparte rise to power in the French government. "His drive for military expansion changed the world." Napoleon Bonaparte 's skills as a military leader helped him rise to become a better leader. He turned the small unmotivated army into a much larger, stronger army. Under Napoleon 's command, the French army defeated the Austrian army and expanded French territory.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a tyrant because his only intention in ruling was to receive power and he did this when the people were most vulnerable, after the revolution. Even though he fought for the rebellion, he later crowned himself king when he was ruling. This act was very controversial to the ideas of the revolution because the rebellion was about limiting the king’s power and giving more power to the lower class men. He unfairly took away the power from the lower class men for his own selfishness of obtaining absolute power.
King Louis XVI, who was the ruler at the time, was a main contributor to these problems that led France to its downfall. The country had a massive lack of resources and food, which led King Louis XVI to borrow more money than he could afford, thus putting the country in immense debt. Despite the very visible crisis overthrowing the country, the king was incapable of accepting his mistakes and refused to change his ways. He maintained the unjust voting system, known as the Estates-General, and worsened the taxing system in order to pay off his debts. The people, especially those of the Third Estate, were clearly angry and dissatisfied with the state of the country, which led them seek out a movement for what was right.
The world today is far more free than it was in the past. This is largely due to the influence of the enlightenment philosophers whose ideas are rather common in society today. However, the world is in a few ways, less free than it was. This can also be attributed to the philosophers of the enlightenment period.
The public did not understand the sacrifices Robespierre has to take to eliminate the reign of the king and queen. The public could only understand and concentrate on the fact that their loved ones were being condemned and the number of people executed everyday. They will soon understand to look at the big picture and realize everything done is for the better of the
Taking that, there was huge political chaos in France over the type of government; to at least strive away from an absolute monarchy. Huge rebellions went on to reform the monarchy for the sake of progress, and some of the greatest bloodbaths were from the instability of the radical people during the Reign of Terror. But in the end despite action they resumed back to have another King Louis in charge- even with the philosophy and the extent of violence by the people - due to the simplicity and familiarity of the monarchs no reforms were actually made; so disobedience failed in the eyes of
Napoleon Bonaparte may have one of the most controversial legacies in modern history. However, it is undeniable that he left a lasting impact that is still felt today. Small things like the French tri-color, and the monuments they erected, are still prevalent to this day. However, his legacy is not only limited to, his wars, but also to things like the destruction of the Holy Roman Empire, the numerous failed invasions of England, his disastrous invasion of Russia, his overthrow of the Spanish, that we have not focused on. So in conclusion, Napoleon’s legacy can be seen through his established order, his introduction of new ideas, and the Napoleonic wars.
Ideas that were formed by the enlightenment philosophers were used in the new government. The French, however, did not make significant progress toward ending absolutism and instead were subject to another absolute ruler immediately after the revolution. After the French revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor. In this role, Bonaparte had absolute power over France. But some traces of progress were seen, as Bonaparte created a fairer tax system, new schools and a new set of laws (some still in place over 200 years
France suffered from many political problems, causing chaos in France. One major problem in France was the government itself. At that time, many governments
Napoleon spread enlightenment ideas that benefited the people in France. He created the Napoleonic code, which was basically the first written document of laws. That meant that the judge could not change anything, but the laws applied to all citizens equally and protected their rights. He gave people religious tolerance, which means people had religious freedom. He also created a system of meritocracy, giving positions based on people's talents and not to the ones that are higher classes.
The people of France tried to resolve issues peacefully but the king cared only about his power and acted at the expense of the citizens. According to the French Revolution portion of the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the bourgeoisie wanted to have political power and the peasants did not want the feudal system to continue (French Revolution 2). A large meeting was held to discuss and solve issues, but, “rumors of an ‘aristocratic conspiracy’ by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate led to the Great Fear of July 1789.” (French Revolution 2). With the king of France being unwilling to actually resolve any conflicts, the only choice that was left was to overthrow the government as a whole and rebuild it into being a more fair and just system.
In 1789, France was precariously balanced on the edge of chaos. King Louis XVI was ruling monarch of France. King Louis’ youth depicted him as reckless, thoughtless, and unwise. A series of bad financial and political decisions, lead to his unpopularity among the people of France. King Louis was young, distracted and misguided.
This enormous massacre of people went against Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, all of which the national assembly declared were every man 's right. Much of the killing can be blamed on Robespierre and King Louis XVI. Although it was mostly a failure, some achievements can be seen through the Revolution. The French Revolution helped the French people become a more equal and socialist state. This showed Europe that the French were capable of revolting and they were not afraid to stand up for what they believed.
Before Napoleon became emperor, France was in a post-revolutionary state after a series of civil wars. Napoleon Bonaparte’s accomplishments were achieved inside and outside of France. Napoleon’s political feats were achieved by having superior military leadership. Napoleons leadership of France ended up turning tables in many different areas from gaining economic stability to establishing an agreement with Pope Pius VII of the Roman Catholic Church. The greatest achievements that made the years 1801-1805 the height of Napoleons political career were the Concordat, the Napoleonic Code, and the reformation of French economy.
Napoleon gained advantagement from a situation where the french government ran out of money and in inflation. Taxation and unemployment were at a high rate also. There was a fear in France that a jacobian resurgence or best people would come. Napoleon was a strong military general who always won in battle.