Following the Reign of Terror, France was ruled by a corrupt five-man governing body called the Directory, which was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte through a coup d’état. Napoleon, a military general, rose to power through a series of military conquests and eventually became the First Consul of the French Republic. The French people viewed Napoleon favorably, as his military and political genius would likely lead to the creation of a prosperous and united France. Moreover, they believed that he would uphold the ideas they had fought for during the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity. While Napoleon stabilized and united French society by supporting the liberty of his people and ensuring equality of opportunity in education
Document C explains that Napoleon believed in better education for France and thought better education would help create a stronger military. Napoleon Bonaparte was a hero for France because he believed in better education for the people of France, he wanted to get rid of the tyrants of other countries to better the lives of people under their rule, and people had civil rights, which they didn’t have prior to his reign as
Taking advantage of his rising popularity, Napoleon became the ruler of France and eventually the ruler of an empire. Napoleon Bonaparte had a positive impact on France and Europe due to the military, political and economic stability he restored to France, the laws he put in place, the reforms he introduced to the European countries he conquered and his improvement of the education system. After a time of uncertainty in France brought about by the French Revolution, Napoleon restored the stability of France through the military. France had experienced a time of military failure during the 1790’s when other European nations declared war on France. Napoleon emerged in this time as a skilled soldier and tactician.
Nonetheless, Napoleon still supported the main goals of the Revolution by establishing the Civil Code and supporting the peasantry by lowering bread prices. Firstly, Napoleon believed that a declaration of rights would weaken his authority. As a result, he violated the Declaration of the Rights of Man by making a secret police force to spy on those who opposed him. This violates the freedoms of speech and thought, of which the Declaration of the Rights of Man guaranteed and thus violates one of the main goals of the French Revolution. In addition, all newspapers, artistic works, plays, and operas that were considered “offensive” were banned by government censors under Napoleon.
Eventually, this led to Napoleon Bonaparte coming into power via a coup at the brink of the 19th century. The formation of a new government saw the leadership of three consuls - Napoleon being far and away the most powerful, as well as two former directors who both had a hand in the coup. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France. With this new form of government in place, Napoleon was given full executive authority over the government, army, appointed members of the bureaucracy, and all foreign affairs. Napoleon’s domestic policies took part in preserving and destroying different aspects of The French Revolution.
Altogether, the advances made by Napoleon changed the course of European history, inspiring other European countries to fight for independence over tyranny, by appearing as a hero to some and a tyrant to others. To many in France, Napoleon was viewed as a hero with great power. Napoleon was an inspirational leader of his men. In Document 1, Napoleon addressed his army before they embarked on a campaign. He promised to lead them into “the most fertile plains”.
France’s revolution was called the February Revolution, because it began in February. The revolution started so France could try to fix voting restrictions, political corruption, and the poor economic conditions. A large cause of France’s revolution was with the voting. Before the revolution, only a thirtieth of adult males could vote. France’s leader, Louis Philippe, was strongly against changing the standards for voting.
Kamehameha, as mentioned before, extended his power using trade and by making Hawaii into a port city, while Napoleon focused on extending his military power. Although Napoleon’s empire eventually fell in 1815, at his prime, the First French Empire was the dominant power of continental
One of the prime causes of the beginning of the French Revolution was the unfair distribution of wealth and authority. This negatively affected all of the peasants in France. During the early parts of the French Revolution, France was an absolute monarchy. Meaning that the king had all the power and authority. Understandably, many people undeniably did not politically agree with this.
The French Revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte, a military genius, stepped in and dismantled the Directory, which promoted middle class interests, and helped with financial crisis and food shortages. Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France, and made a new social order called the Napoleonic Code. Although there may be many reasons he reversed the spirit of the French Revolution, he modernized and changed the political and social construct immensely, for the good of France. The main trait that Napoleon is known for is his genius military mind. He studied at a military school and was an officer by the age of 16.