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Why Is Napoleon Bonaparte An Absolute Dictator

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Napoleon At the start of the French Revolution, Napoleon shared the same radical ideas as many of the French people at the time. However once he became emperor, maintaining power and control became more important than the interest of the people. It is debatable whether or not he was a democratic reformer or absolute dictator because even though he was able to create stability in post-revolutionary France, he also centralized power around himself. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, an island in the Mediterranean Sea that belongs to the French. His father was a part of a noble Italian family and when the French took control, the family was able to maintain their status. This allowed him to attend French military schools, College …show more content…

He abolished serfdom and feudalism so many peasants were freed from the obligations of the feudal system. The Napoleonic Code gained the support of the peasants; the Concordat gained the support of the Catholics; and the Bank of France gained the support of the nobles. However, there was also a less-liberal side to the Napoleonic Code. Some examples include that trade unions were forbidden and women were considered inferior to men by law. This was a step back to the increased rights women had during the revolution. Napoleon had yet again restored power in the men. He had given the French people some liberties to refrain from future revolutions because he needed the loyalty of the French people in order to be able to conquer the world. Instead of liberating the people of France, he had put them under the rule of yet another government (this was reversing the ideals of the revolution). He enforced the strict embargo of the Continental System to prevent the expansion of England essentially started the War of 1812. In a private conversation with Andre Francois, Napoleon said, “ I can no longer obey. I have tasted command. I have tasted power and I cannot give it up. I love power.” He no longer had the desire to please the people because his desire for power was only getting

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