NAPOLEON & FRANCE
Napoleon’s Domestic Policies
Name: _________________________________
Directions: Read the following information. As you are reading, take notes (under-line, highlight, asterisk, markup, etc.). When you are finished, answer the provided questions.
Becoming First Consul at 30 years of age, Napoleon now cut his hair short. As First Consul, Napoleon was clearly
the highest power in the land, and a fairly absolutist ruler. However, he was still careful to set up what were largely
imaginary representative institutions in order to preserve the illusion of a republic. These included a legislative
body and a council of notables, neither of which held much power. Napoleon also sold the Louisiana Territory to
the newly independent U.S. on April 30, 1803, for 80 million francs, or about 15 million dollars. In the U.S., this
event is referred to as the “Louisiana Purchase.”
Why was Napoleon so quick to sell the valuable Louisiana Territory to the U.S.? For one, his government needed
the money. However, Napoleon was worried about getting involved in a conflict with the U.S. He knew such a
conflict would divert needed resources away from his military efforts in Europe, and he also knew that a war with
the U.S. would be an invitation for the British Navy, which dominated the seas, to harass his supply ships crossing
the Atlantic. Although France appeared strong at the time, it was still recovering from the chaos of the Revolution
years, and Napoleon knew this. Thus Napoleon's sale was far from a hasty moneymaking method; it was a carefully
calculated instance of strategy
In France, Napoleon showed considerable organizational genius as he worked to restore peace, order, and unity to
post-Revolution France. He worked very hard to obtain the support of the Royalist factions, and he also worked to
improve French relations with the Catholic Church, since Catholicism was the majority religion in France and thus a
major force among the people.
On July 15, 1801, he signed a Concordat with Pope Pius VII. In this agreement, the Church officially recognized the
French Republic and gave back property it had appropriated during the chaos of the Revolution. In exchange,
Napoleon, in a carefully worded agreement, pronounced that Catholicism was the religion of “most French,” and
thus the official religion of the Republic, though he still tolerated the practice of all religions in France.
The Concordat with Rome was a purely political move on Napoleon's part. A child of the Enlightenment, Napoleon
was not religious. Still, he had no qualms about doing what was politically necessary, and he did not want the
French clergy, who could influence the opinion of the people, to be against him. The Concordat was thus a
masterpiece of political maneuvering.
Around 1800, when Napoleon was most popular, he worked hard to centralize French government agencies, which
suffered from an overly complex system of organization. He created a “Bank of France” to improve French financial
stability, and in May 1802 he created the first French “lycees,” or secondary schools, based on the military
educational system. His immediate motive in doing so was to provide better training for government employees,
but the “lycees” were ultimately to serve as the basis for the current French secondary-school system. He also
completely overhauled French law, beginning in 1800, and instituting the Napoleonic Code in 1804.
The Napoleonic Code was the most famous law code since the Roman code or Hammurabi's Code. It was made up
of five main branches, or codes, each referring to a different aspect of law. The Napoleonic Code unified and
simplified the French legal system, and, with a few exceptions, it basically gave all citizens the same basic rights,
justly regulating property, contracts, debts, stock company formation, and the like.
However, the Code did not eliminate all mistreatment of French citizens: for instance, it banned labor unions and
punished criminals extremely harshly; while the guiding assumption in U.S. criminal law is “innocent until proven
guilty,” under the Napoleonic Code, the “burden of proof” rested more with the accused.
Also, French women under the Code had very little power over their own property once married. Yet the
Napoleonic Code remains one of Napoleon's greatest legacies; its simplicity and clarity lent it reliability and
durability, and, with the advent of the Napoleonic conquests in later years, it was introduced into a number of
European countries. While the Code did not remain in force in all of these (as it did in Belgium), it did serve as the
basis for the modern legal systems of the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, as well as for those of Quebec, parts of
Latin America, and Louisiana.
In August 1802, Napoleon proclaimed himself First Consul for Life. A new constitution of his own devising legislated
a succession to rule for his son, even though he had not yet fathered any children; although Josephine had two
children from her previous marriage, she had not borne Napoleon any heirs.
Although seen as a “son of the Revolution,” Napoleon believed that reason, and not the desires of the masses, was
the most important thing to follow. In this sense, Napoleon was an “enlightened despot” – the best possible
system of government, he thought, was absolutist – or “despotic” – rule by a wise – or “enlightened” – ruler; the
ruler knew what was best for the people, while the people themselves often did not. In order to rule all the more
wisely and rationally, then, he surrounded himself with intelligent and skilled advisors: mathematicians, scientists
and statesmen.
Moreover, for Napoleon, enlightened despotism was not just an ideal; the man was indeed wise. Although he had
a profound sense of a mystical destiny, claiming that he followed his “star,” the quick-witted Napoleon was
unusually smart and rational, unlike many European rulers of the day. Upon visiting him, leading intellectuals from
around Europe were almost all impressed with the quality of his mind and speech. Although the Revolution's ideal
of self-government withered under Napoleon, he was not a bad replacement for it.
Napoleon brought the definitive end of the Revolution. While the Third Estate (the common people) no longer held
any real power under his dictatorship, Napoleon did consolidate and cement many of the changes for which they
had fought, most notably equality for all. Moreover, his reign marked France's resurgence as a stable and strong
nation, a nation free of internal strife and ready to forge a place for itself in international politics.
After Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor in May 1804, he next moved to recreate the French nobility, a long
French tradition that had been eliminated by the Revolution. In 1808, Napoleon started granting titles of nobility to
people who served him particularly well.
Napoleon's arrogant and authoritarian ambitions were illustrated by his self-coronation and slighting of the Pope.
Why did Napoleon want to invite the Pope to his coronation if he was going to crown himself? He did so to
heighten the importance of his action. By putting the imperial crown on his own head while the Pope stood by,
Napoleon made a symbolic gesture stating that he would be obedient to no one on earth, and that Rome & the
Catholic Church would never command him.
He further reinforced his power and reputation through his reinstitution of the nobility. Hoping to create loyal
allies for his government and wanting to use titles as a reward for dedicated service to the regime, Napoleon
renewed the traditional French pageantry and court etiquette. Napoleon did not personally like the resulting
formalities, but wanted to create a certain image that would reinforce his prestige and power, and earn him ever
more respect.
The royal court of the French Emperor became a public spectacle of pageantry and elegance. Court procedure and
rules of etiquette became very complex and regimented. Josephine reveled in her new role as Empress, and
cultivated a famously impressive style. Yet Napoleon himself, even though he had intentionally made a spectacle
of his court, found his new role somewhat uncomfortable and difficult. He preferred to work long hours in his
study to escape from court life.
Napoleon now led a double life. On the one hand, he was a stately Emperor cloaked in fine robes. On the other
hand, he was an obsessive workaholic, often staying in his study for days on end writing letters and preparing
various plans. Yet Napoleon understood well the importance of maintaining a splendid image: he commissioned all
the leading French artists to create art that would depict a positive view of the Empire. Chief among these artists
was Jacques-Louis David, whose paintings and portraits depicted Napoleon as intensely heroic.
NAPOLEON & FRANCE
Napoleon’s Domestic Policies
Name: _________________________________
Directions: After you have read the provided information, answer the following questions – answers MUST BE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES to receive
credit.
1.) At what age did Napoleon become First Consul? ________________________________
2.) In what year did Napoleon sell the Louisiana Territory? ________________________________
3.) To what country did Napoleon sell the Louisiana Territory to? ________________________________
4.) List TWO reasons WHY Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory:
a. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.) What document sought to reconcile differences between the French government and the Catholic Church? ________________________________
6.) What did Napoleon create to improve French financial stability? ________________________________
7.) What did Napoleon create to provide better training for government employees? ________________________________
8.) List THREE effects of the Napoleonic Code:
a. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9.) What type of ruler can Napoleon be considered? ________________________________
10.) What did Napoleon recreate that had been destroyed during the French Revolution? ________________________________