Stage 4: Napoleon

Savior of the Revolution During the French Revolution, Napoleon won several important battles against the Austrians & Prussians. He quickly became a general, and saved the Directory (4th revolutionary government) from royalists (people who wanted to return a king to power) He fired artillery on a mob trying to overthrow the Directory and dispersed them.

Napoleon Seizes Power In 1799, a popular Napoleon launches a Coup d’Etat (sudden seizure & overthrow) on the weak and corrupt Directory. Napoleon is victorious and seizes control of France as “First Consul” Where have you heard that term before?

Napoleon & The Church Ends de-Christianization of French Revolution Reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France and restored some of its civil status.

Napoleon as Emperor In 1804, Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French by grabbing the crown out of the Pope’s hands. He also crowns his wife Josephine Empress as well. This signified his power over the Catholic Church

Consul vs. Emperor Note the plainer appearance of Napoleon when he first became Consul, as compared to the much more grand scene of him once his imperial ambition had been revealed and he had seated himself as Emperor

“Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon & the Empress Josephine,” by Jacques-Louis David December 2, 1804

Absolute Rule Despite overthrowing the absolute King Louis XVI in 1792, the people of France now support Napoleon as an absolute leader. Why?

Napoleon Popularity They would rather have peace and stability than bloodshed and uncertainty The leading elements of the 3rd Estate (Bourgeois) had achieved most of their goals by 1799 Had abolished hereditary privilege, allowing people of talent to achieve wealth and status Were not really excited about sharing wealth with the poor Peasants had also gotten what they wanted Got their land Got rid of feudal privileges

Napoleon the Reformer To fix the French economy, he introduced a fair tax system & a Bank of France to regulate the money supply He created a merit based system for gov’t bureaucrats He created public schools for students of all backgrounds He issued a comprehensive set of laws called the Napoleonic Code that provided order, freedom of religion, & eliminated privileges by estates

Napoleonic Code Made citizens equal in the eyes of the law---Equality Established religious tolerance--- Liberty Advancement was based on merit---Fraternity Took rights away from women— now controlled by male guardians

Napoleon the Conqueror From 1807 to 1812, Napoleon ruled over the largest European empire since the Romans During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon showed his military genius by defeating Austria & Prussia and conquering Spain, Italy, & central Europe

Napoleon’s Empire No single enemy could match such Napoleon could put as many as 700,000 men under arms at one time, risk as many as 100,000 troops in a single battle, endure heavy losses, and return to fight again. He could conscript citizen soldiers in unprecedented numbers, thanks to their loyalty to the nation. No single enemy could match such Resources, even coalitions failed

Napoleon’s Family Rules! Jerome Bonaparte  King of Westphalia. Joseph Bonaparte  King of Spain Louise Bonaparte  King of Holland Pauline Bonaparte  Princess of Italy Napoléon Francis (son) King of Rome Elisa Bonaparte  Grand Duchess of Tuscany Caroline Bonaparte  Queen of Naples

Napoleon’s 3 Big Mistakes The Continental System The Peninsular War 3. Invasion of Russia

The Continental System Napoleon attempted to set up a naval blockade which prohibited French or allied ships from trade with Britain Many nations ignored it and Britain was able to bust through it (too many holes) Seeking revenge, Britain launched their own blockade which hurt France’s economy

The Peninsular War France attacks Spain for ignoring the Continental system. Over 6 years, Spain uses Guerilla warfare techniques to inflict massive casualties on the French military Britain supports troops in Portugal and Spain against France.

Invasion of Russia-1812 Napoleon invades Russia for trading with Great Britain (disobeying the Continental System) As Russian troops retreat to Moscow, they burn everything down (scorched earth policy) leaving nothing for the French Eventually Napoleon is forced to retreat due to low supplies and extreme winter weather. 400,000 of 500,000 French troops will die in this campaign!

Exile to Elba With his forces greatly weakened, Napoleon is defeated by a combined British, Russian, and Prussian force. He is banished to the tiny Island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea in 1815 French monarchy restored with King Louis XVIII

Napoleon’s 100 Days After a year on Elba, Napoleon raises a small army and escapes back to France Louis XVIII panicked and fled; Napoleon declared outlaw by allies He once again becomes Emperor and attempts to strengthen his army The French welcome his return

Napoleon’s Last Stand Seeking to finish him off for good, the British and Prussians meet Napoleon at Waterloo, Belgium Napoleon and his inexperienced army are defeated. He is exiled for good to St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic

Napoleon’s Death After 6 years on St. Helena, Napoleon dies of Stomach cancer in 1821. Much controversy surrounds his death It is thought by many that the British may have poisoned him

Napoleon’s Legacy Know as one of the greatest military leaders of all time Nationalism throughout Europe rose during and after his reign. The Congress of Vienna (1815)is called to figure out how to create peace between nations. After his defeat, Europe experiences relative peace between nations for 100 years until WWI.

Nationalism: Blessing & Curse Due to Napoleon’s new policies and conquests, nationalism (intense love & pride in one’s nation) in France was at an all-time high. But in areas defeated and conquered by France, a strong feeling of hatred towards Napoleon arose. People began to join together as one to fight against France.

Examples of policies and actions of Napoleon which were consistent with the ideals of the Revolution Economic Reform Equality under the law No legal distinctions between social classes Merit based government offices Napoleonic Code Unified legal system Freedom of religion and occupation All citizens taxed equally Set up Lyceés (government-run schools)

Examples of policies and actions of Napoleon which were inconsistent with the ideals of the Revolution Napoleon was a dictator Was censorship and repression Labor unions forbidden and the rights of employers far greater than the rights of workers Did not give full equality to all Men had extensive control over their families

Congress of Vienna Congress of Vienna was attended by conservatives from Austria, Prussia, Russia, Britain, France and was led by Austrian minister Klemons von Metternich Metternich & other delegates disliked democracy, feared the ideas of the French Revolution, & wanted to restore Europe to the way it was before Napoleon

One goal was to prevent future French aggression This was accomplished taking from France all lands it gained under Napoleon & making the nations around France stronger The Kingdom of the Netherlands was created 39 states joined to form the German Confederation Switzerland became a nation A “buffer zone” was created between France & the major European powers Sardinia merged with Genoa

One goal was to restore monarchs to power in Europe This was done by restoring kings in France, Portugal, Spain, & many Italian & German states

One goal was to maintain a balance of power in Europe This was done by forming the Concert of Europe, an alliance among Russia, Austria, Prussia, & Britain to maintain peace & stop future revolutions The decisions made at the Congress of Vienna helped maintain peace in Europe for almost 40 years

But the decisions of the Congress of Vienna did not make liberals or radicals happy The restoration of kings led to an increase in demand for democracy in Europe In 1848, a surge of nationalism swept through Europe which sparked revolutions for democracy & the formation of new nations