To What Extent Did Napoleon Destroy The Ideals Of The French Revolution In The Period 1799 To 1804
To what extent did Napoleon destroy the ideals of the French Revolution in the period 1799 to 1804?
Napoleon Bonaparte came into power after a coup d'état that overthrew the previous government of the Directory. This government had been installed by the French after a long line of radical rulers had instilled in them a desire for moderate, peaceful leaders. Though the Directory did turn out to be a lot less radical than the Jacobins, who had previously ruled under the Convention, they were also largely ineffectual, corrupt, and for most parts, increased the woes of the common man of France. Running parallel to this unsatisfactory government within France was Napoleon, successful in almost all military conquests and foreign wars that he undertook, which made him something of a French national hero.
Therefore, Napoleon did not face much opposition when he came into power and established the consulate, and later became the First Consul, which effectively cast the other two consuls, Abbie Sieyes and Roger Ducos, into the background and pushed Napoleon into the spotlight. He arranged for a plebiscite to garner the views of the people at both these instances, which went in accordance with one of the demands the people had repeatedly voiced, being the need for some sort of representation, and their voice to be heard in the making and ruling of the government. Though it seems that the use of the plebiscite was to ensure the upholding of the French Revolution ideals, this tactic is often seen to have been used by authoritarian leaders to mask their totalitarian tendencies and make an appearance of relying completely on public opinion.
Regardless of whether Napoleon established himself as a leader with or without the peoples support, it cannot be said that they were extremely dissatisfied during his reign. He introduced a series of policies targeting the economy, constitution, administration, religion, media, education and social structure of France, and each of these
Napoleon Bonaparte came into power after a coup d'état that overthrew the previous government of the Directory. This government had been installed by the French after a long line of radical rulers had instilled in them a desire for moderate, peaceful leaders. Though the Directory did turn out to be a lot less radical than the Jacobins, who had previously ruled under the Convention, they were also largely ineffectual, corrupt, and for most parts, increased the woes of the common man of France. Running parallel to this unsatisfactory government within France was Napoleon, successful in almost all military conquests and foreign wars that he undertook, which made him something of a French national hero.
Therefore, Napoleon did not face much opposition when he came into power and established the consulate, and later became the First Consul, which effectively cast the other two consuls, Abbie Sieyes and Roger Ducos, into the background and pushed Napoleon into the spotlight. He arranged for a plebiscite to garner the views of the people at both these instances, which went in accordance with one of the demands the people had repeatedly voiced, being the need for some sort of representation, and their voice to be heard in the making and ruling of the government. Though it seems that the use of the plebiscite was to ensure the upholding of the French Revolution ideals, this tactic is often seen to have been used by authoritarian leaders to mask their totalitarian tendencies and make an appearance of relying completely on public opinion.
Regardless of whether Napoleon established himself as a leader with or without the peoples support, it cannot be said that they were extremely dissatisfied during his reign. He introduced a series of policies targeting the economy, constitution, administration, religion, media, education and social structure of France, and each of these