Napoleon
“The dirty little Corsican”
• Incredible victories in Italy and borders of Austria, impressive
in Egypt until Britain’s Nelson finds their navy and destroys it.
• More chaos in Parisian streets so he runs up to help. No one
knows about Egyptian failures.
• Back in France Directory was being challenged
by royalists and needed help of military but
didn’t trust army leaders so made the mistake
of picking Napoleon thinking he would be
their puppet. Create a plan for a fake coup
d’etat. Directors were in on it or bribed and
one was kept in a room. Told 500 and Ancients
that Jacobins planning takeover.
November 10, 1799
• By next day they realized they were tricked
and when Napoleon came in they yelled and
attacked…he fainted! Luckily his brother got
the army to come in to back him up and the
coup succeeded. At first he shares the
position of consul with two other men(Sieyes
being one of them)…
Is this the end of the French Revolution?
Or is this a new phase?
• Napoleon asserts his authority and becomes
First Consul and then after a plebiscite, Consul
for Life… he was gaining dictatorial powers.
• He jails, exiles or guillotines opposition and
makes peace with European powers.
• France will have about 4 years of peace and
domestic tranquility . 1800-1803/4
Reforms:
• Bank of France 1800: trust built for investors
and inflation controlled
Concordat 1801
Pius VII
• “In religion, I do not see the mystery of the
Incarnation, but the mystery of the social order.”
• Two goals “This religion must be in the hands of the
government” Meaning no restoration of confiscated
properties.
Civil Code 1804
• Combines egalitarian principles of 1789 and
insistence on the rights of property and on the
authority of parent and husband.
Divorce restricted, illegitimate child claims are limited,
women’s rights down the drain:
“A husband owes protection to his wife, a wife
obedience to her husband.” “Married women are
incapable of making contracts” “a wife may sue for
divorce only in the case in which the husband
introduces a permanent mistress into the family
household.”
• Property rights and rights
of citizenship are official…
destruction of feudalism
and privilege.
• Equal division of estates
between sons is law
• Education : boys to be trained for service for
the state: doctors, teachers, civil servants,
soldiers, craftsmen, etc.
• Lycees set up as secular specialized secondary
schools which were very effective
• Girls were left to religious schools: “What we
ask is not that girls should think but that they
should believe” “care must be taken not to let
them see any Latin, or other foreign
languages.”
• Secret police and censorship
• Workers:
1803 law forbade union organization and they
must carry a passbook stamped by their
employer and, in industrial disputes, the
employer’s word alone could be taken as
evidence.
• Food:
Limit export of grain and imposed ceiling on
price of bread and flour. This will gain him the
loyal support of the people throughout the
years.
critics
• A new royal line was created. Joseph, then
Louis then Lucien..this is before he had
children.
• 1803 war breaks out again with England and
royalists get a deal with Britain to kidnap
Napoleon and bring him to London, plot
exposed so the threat brings on title of
Emperor (very Hobbesian)…people felt they
needed a strong ruler to control chaos.
• December 2, 1804 Napoleon crowned himself
Emperor in Notre Dame
• Napoleon takes on Europe!!!
p. 68 and 69