Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor of France after the French revolution. He was a great leader, but also might be considered a dictator of sorts. After the revolution Napoleon was said to have brought peace to the people of France in a time of distress. When Napoleon was leader he ended up both upholding and undermining the ideals and goals of the French revolution. Napoleon upheld the revolution by creating equality for all men, and by making a meritocracy, but he also undermined it by taking away most if not all of the women's rights, and taking away freedom of the press.
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
Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruthless dictator who rose and fell during the turbulent French Revolution because of his singular combination of ego, toxic masculinity, and authoritarian methods. He was first hailed as a military genius for his victories, but his fortunes changed when he lost battles while defending the very nation he had fought to rule. After attending military academies and rising through the ranks to finally hold the prestigious title of General, Bonaparte developed an unquenchable craving for power. But eventually, his stratospheric ascent and unavoidable collapse resulted from his unbridled ambition, his bloated ego, the continuation of toxic masculinity, and totalitarian leadership. Napoleon possessed one of the most notorious egos in the world.
Back in 1796, Napoleon was given command of the French armies in Italy. After a victory in Italy, he issued a proclamation stating, "Your property, your religion, and your customs will be respected. " This part of the proclamation reflects some Enlightenment ideals, specifically the right of property, freedom of religion, and culture. During the same year, Napoleon declared religious tolerance in France. Later on in 1805, after Napoleon became Emperor of France, he sent a letter to the Minister of Police to explain his plans on how to control people who would publicly criticize him.
After the French Revolution, a Corsican artillery officer, named Napoleon Bonaparte, became the emperor of France in 1804. After playing a significant role in trying retake the French port of Toulon, occupied by the British, he was appointed general at the age of 26 in 1793. This marked the beginning of the Napoleonic Era, which would change the course of European history for centuries. However, despite claiming to be a strong supporter of the French Revolution, Napoleon mostly undermined the goals of the Revolution by violating the Declaration of the Rights of Man, insisting on returning to principles of the Old Regime in regards to women, the imposition of taxes and the re-establishment of the social elite. Nonetheless, Napoleon still supported the main goals of the Revolution by establishing the Civil Code and supporting the peasantry by lowering bread prices.
Towards the beginning of the nineteenth century France was suffering from inflation, overpopulation, corruption within the government, unfair parliamentary voting, and several other things. Once Napoleon became in charge reforms within the government, and france’s economy were quickly being made. The reforms he contributed are some of the prime examples of how he was an effective leader of France. Napoleon created equal taxation for the citizens of France so that now the burden of the taxes were not just on the third estate. One of his more significant reforms was his Napoleonic code.
When Napoleon crowned himself as emperor, he made many new policies and changes to France and its government, which most people favored. For example, he controlled prices, built roads and canals, and encouraged new industry. He also let the émigrés return to France, as long as they took an oath of loyalty. He recognized the peasants’ rights to the lands that they had bought from the Church and nobles during the Revolution. Napoleon allowed anyone to get any job they wanted as long as they had the right abilities for the job.
Napoleon’s Imperial Decree at Madrid stated that “from the publication of the present decree, feudal rights are abolished... all feudal monopolies of ovens, mills, and inns are suppressed” (Document 8). By abolishing feudalism, Napoleon promoted liberty and freed people from their duties to their lords. Individuals no longer had to conform to their social status and were able to pursue their own success by having access to previously exclusive resources. Napoleon believed that the privileges of the upper class should be abolished (Pagano “Napoleon Domestic Program Good”).
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.
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon bonaparte a french military leader, and a emperor who conquered most of europe in the early 19th century. Born in august 15,1769 ajaccio, france. Died on may 5, 1821 at the age of 51 . As a great leader, he change europe and made it better. He also took part on politics.
WORK CITED BBC, BBC News. BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. A&E Television Networks, History.com.
If given the opportunity to spend an afternoon with any person in history, I would chose the first Emperor of France: Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoleon has been regarded as one of the most controversial figures in history. Many historians view him as a grandiose tyrant who brought great tragedy to much of Europe. Others, however, argue that he began a period of enlightenment and created many lasting reforms. In my mind, I see Napoleon as someone who used his intelligence and drive to seize the day and become one of the most powerful and influential men in history.
I believe that Napoleon was the creator of his times. He first created a name for himself in October of 1795, when he and his group of gunmen defeated thousands of royalist rebels within minutes. All around Paris, Napoleon was referred to as “The savior of the French Republic”. In November of 1799 Napoleon is appointed the title of first consul.
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.
Napoleon Bonaparte came from nothing and rose to power in a span of 7 years. First he was a captain in 1972, in 1796 he was promoted to commander of armies in Italy, in 1797 he was considered a hero after a stunning victory in Egypt. In 1799 he took power in a Coup d’etat and named himself emperor, calling himself a “Consul,” because of his roman influences. While during his reign he did many positive things, such as, make peace with the Catholic Church, makes everyone equal under the law, he creates religious tolerance, and people can choose their profession. However, during this time, women have almost no rights and divorce is much harder because of peace with the Catholic Church.