How Does Napoleon Rise To Power
How Does Napoleon Rise To Power
World?
Mini Lecture
• In reaction to the Terror, the Revolution entered the third phase- a five-man Directory.
However, discontent grew because of corrupt & inefficient leaders- they could not solve
the country’s serious financial issues. Also, war continued with France’s neighbors. The
future looked dark.
• Politicians planned to use Napoleon Bonaparte, a popular military hero, to advance
their goals of stability.
• The final phase of the Revolution is known as the Age of Napoleon. In 1799, Napoleon
overthrew the Directory. By1804, he had acquired enough power to assume the title
Emperor, ending the Republic.
• At each step of his rise, Napoleon held a plebiscite. However, he still had absolute
power, although he was elected. He strengthened the central government and made
economic & social reforms that won support across classes. The Napoleonic Code was
his most lasting reform- a new code of laws which embodied Enlightenment principles
of equality, religious tolerance, & the abolition of feudalism.
• From 1804 to 1812, Napoleon battled the European powers (the Napoleonic Wars)
and created a massive Grand Empire- he rarely lost.
• Britain, however, remained outside Napoleon’s grasp. His attempt to wage economic
warfare through the Continental System failed. Growing nationalism led to resistance
against French influence. In Spain, patriots waged guerrilla warfare against the French.
• In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia with 600,00 soldiers. To avoid battles with
Napoleon, the Russians retreated, burning crops & villages as they went- this scorched-
earth policy left the French cold & hungry. Fewer than 20,000 soldiers survived due to
this policy & Russia’s size & cold winters. The retreat from Moscow shattered
Napoleon’s reputation for success.
• In 1815, Napoleon was forced to abdicate following the loss at the Battle of Waterloo.
• After Waterloo, European diplomats met at the Congress of Vienna to restore stability
& the old order after years of revolution & war. The Congress strived to create a lasting
peace by maintaining a balance of power. Leaders also met periodically in the Concert of
Europe to discuss problems that threatened peace.
• By 1799, the French Revolution had dramatically changed France. It had dislodged the
old social order, overthrown the monarchy, & spread nationalism throughout France.
• Napoleon spread Enlightenment ideas & nationalism across Europe & the world.
Napoleon’s Reforms
Economy
•Builds parks,roads & canals
•Controls prices to restore prosperity (througha Central Bank)
•Encourages new industry
Education
•Creates a public school system under government control (secondary schools)
Religion
•Concordat of 1801 –peace with the Catholic Church
Laws •Napoleonic Code
•New uniform law code (efficiency)
•Embodied Enlightenment ideas
•Civil Codeensured equality for all & abolished feudalism
•Basis of modern French law
•Took away women’s newly gained rights
Government
•Central government strengthened
• “Order, Security and Efficiency”
•Meritocracy (basedon talent/skill)
Nationalism
•Encourages émigrés to return to France and take an oath of loyalty
•builds French empire
Age of Napoleon Stage Timeline: 1799-1815
Directions: Using the images and text below, respond to the questions. November
1795-1799: The Directory
After Robespierre's execution in 1794, a new constitution was created called the Constitution of 1795.
The new constitution attempted to separate powers and limit the power of any one man. Through the
constitution, they created the Directory. The Directory was a five-member group that replaced the
Committee for Public Safety. The Directory functioned as the head of the government, but it was weak
and poorly funded and struggled to enforce government policies, often having to rely on the military to
maintain order. The Directory also struggled with rampant corruption and repeated coups d'état
[attempts at overthrowing someone in power]. In addition to these internal problems, France was still
engaged in wars with neighboring European countries.
1. What issues caused by the Reign of Terror did the Constitution of 1795 and the Directory attempt to
address?
2. What made the Directory a weak ruling body?
November 1799: Napoleon overthrows the government and declares himself First Consul of France
In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader. Early in the revolution, he sided with the
revolutionary extremists, the Jacobins, who were led by Maximillien Robespierre and controlled the
government until 1795. During that time he was promoted in the military for devising successful battle
plans and for his support of the revolution. After Robespierre’s execution, the country fell into civil war.
Counter-revolutionaries who supported the monarchy attacked the National Convention, the group of
representatives who ran the government. Napoleon was tasked with defending the National Convention
in Paris and was successful in pushing back the royalists. With the trust of the new ruling body, the
Directory, Napoleon was given command of military campaigns in Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Egypt,
Syria, and other places where French forces fought against countries led by monarchs who threatened
the revolution. While commanding French troops, General Bonaparte gained popularity in France. To
many of the French people he was the successful leader who defeated armies threatening their country
and who enriched the French by bringing the riches of other regions home.
3. How did Napoleon gain popularity and power in France?
December 1804: Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France and reinstituted hereditary rule
In January 1804, Napoleon’s police uncovered an assassination plot against him, led by the House of
Bourbon (Louis XVI’s family). In response, he recreated the hereditary monarchy and divine right in
France. He crowned himself emperor on December 2, 1804, at Notre Dame de Paris.
5. Why was Napoleon’s crowning as emperor of France a significant event of the French Revolution?
1814-1815: Napoleon Defeated During Napoleonic Wars
In 1814 Napoleon and his army were defeated. Napoleon was exiled to an island in the Mediterranean
Sea called Elba. During his exile, a monarchy was restored in France, but Napoleon escaped and
reclaimed power in 1815. He raised another army and attempted to retake Europe. However, he was
again defeated at Waterloo, Belgium in 1815 by a coalition of European forces. He was exiled once
again, but this time to the island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean where he remained until his
death.
6. What led to Napoleon’s fall from power?
November 1814-June 1815: At the Congress of Vienna European Powers Redraw European Map
he Congress of Vienna was a meeting of representatives of European states. The purpose of the
Congress of Vienna was to address the conflict and instability in Europe caused by the French Revolution
and Napoleonic Wars. During the Congress of Vienna, ambassadors sought to create a peace plan that
would create long-term stability for Europe. One result of the Congress of Vienna was the restoration of
the old boundaries of Europe before the Napoleonic Wars. Another result was that larger powers were
resized to establish a balance of power that will prevent future wars.
7. What was the purpose and outcomes of the Congress of Vienna?