How Far Did Napoleon Maintain the Ideals of the French Revolution?
Napoleon managed to maintain the lesser ideals of the French Revolution. However, he managed to do this by giving all of the former ideals a ‘twist’ of his own if he was displeased by them. This included the fact that he re-wrote the constitution that had previously been written; he partially reversed the relationship with the Church, turning France into a Catholic country. It can also be stated that the way he gained power was against the French Revolution’s ideals: and this was the very beginning! On the other hand, Napoleon managed to maintain equal taxation, which had previously been a big issue, especially for the poor. Distinction was removed and there were no privileges for any parties neither was there a way to ‘sneak out’ of paying taxes (even for the first and second estate) as the system was efficiently managed-something that caused financial stability for France.
Napoleon Bonaparte was in command of the French Army which gave him a lot of power, something Napoleon knew all too well. In the year 1799, he sensed a chance to win power for himself and made his way back to France where he joined a plot to overthrow the directors and close down the Councils. Napoleon’s Brumaire shows a step against the new revolutionary ideas as it clearly stated there would not be a ‘monarch’. Bonaparte was not a monarch but he did reign like one, wanting all power for himself. He is quoted saying that: “I can no longer obey; I have tasted command and I cannot give it up.” This shows that he knew that he could not reign along with other directors and wanted all power for himself. This was against the one of the ideals of the directory and the terror. On top of this, Robespierre was against giving the army a lot of power because he believed this could result in a take-over: exactly what Napoleon did.
Napoleon ran a very centralised: all focus was supposed to be on him. However, Napoleon claimed that, in principle, the French population was still able to vote (plebiscites).
Napoleon Bonaparte was in command of the French Army which gave him a lot of power, something Napoleon knew all too well. In the year 1799, he sensed a chance to win power for himself and made his way back to France where he joined a plot to overthrow the directors and close down the Councils. Napoleon’s Brumaire shows a step against the new revolutionary ideas as it clearly stated there would not be a ‘monarch’. Bonaparte was not a monarch but he did reign like one, wanting all power for himself. He is quoted saying that: “I can no longer obey; I have tasted command and I cannot give it up.” This shows that he knew that he could not reign along with other directors and wanted all power for himself. This was against the one of the ideals of the directory and the terror. On top of this, Robespierre was against giving the army a lot of power because he believed this could result in a take-over: exactly what Napoleon did.
Napoleon ran a very centralised: all focus was supposed to be on him. However, Napoleon claimed that, in principle, the French population was still able to vote (plebiscites).