Napoleon joined the French Army during the revolution
Napoleon was a member of the Artillery
Divisions
He first rose to prominence when an army of Royalists tried to attack the
National Convention
Napoleon greeted the Royalists with a
“whiff of grapeshot”
As a reward Napoleon was appointed the leader of the French army that was to attack the Austrians and the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1796
Napoleon used the tactic of the central position to sweep back the Austrians and
Italians
Despite the military successes the
Directory had lost the confidence of the people by 1799
Napoleon moved 500 of his troops in to one of the national legislature chambers
The other chamber then voted to end the directory
Thus started the Triumvirate
The Triumvirate was an Executive
Council of three men
Napoleon was one of the three
Napoleon was now in control of the army and was a major voice in the executive branch of the government
The British had organized a new anti-French coalition while Napoleon gained power
This second coalition made up of Britain,
Austria, and Russia
Napoleon again led his army into battle and defeated the Austrians and Russians
The British fought on but eventually accepted peace
In 1804, Napoleon became “Emperor of the French.”
Pope Pius VIII officiated at the ceremony, which took place in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. As the pope prepared to crown the emperor, Napoleon took the crown and placed it on his head himself. By this gesture, Napoleon showed that he did not bow to any authority.
With Europe at peace Napoleon turned his attention to politics
He proposed a new constitution and allowed the French people to vote on it
The French accepted his constitution which gave him all of the real power in the republic as First Consul in 1800
By 1802 Napoleon held another plebiscite and was appointed Consul for
Life
In 1804 another Plebiscite made
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon I
Emperor of the French
Napoleon created a National Bank and cut inflation
He signed the Concordat with the Pope
Napoleon welcomed back the émigrés and the bourgeoisies was pleased as well
Napoleon did several things that benefited the people
Napoleonic Code
Public Programs
He also turned away from some of the beliefs of the revolution
No free elections
No free press
Napoleon’s greatest achievement in government was the
Napoleonic Code, which influenced French law to the present.
It recognized that all men were equal before the law and guaranteed freedom of religion as well as a person’s right to work in any occupation.
It put the interests of the state above those of individual citizens. In addition, it dropped laws passed during the revolution that had protected the rights of women and children. The Napoleonic code reflected ancient Roman law and made the man absolute head of the household with control over all family property .
Napoleon had brought pride back to the
French people through his military and diplomatic gains
Napoleon’s popularity lead to him being proclaimed emperor by the people
France had returned to an absolute monarchy under Napoleon
In your textbook read pg. 446 -452
Answer Section Review questions 1-6
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