THE RISE OF NAPOLEON AND IMPERIAL FRANCE

THE DIRECTORY

• 1795 – a new plan of government was drafted by the National Convention

• Called for a two-house legislature

• The executive body was made up of five men, known as the Directory

• Established a period of order, but corruption was a part of this government

• Named Napoleon Bonaparte general and gave him command of France’s army

NAPOLEON• Born in Corsica in 1769

• Sent to military school in France at the age of 9

• Finished school at age of 16 and became a lieutenant in the artillery

• Joined revolutionary army when the revolution broke out

NAPOLEON TAKES CONTROL

• November 9, 1799 Napoleon was placed in charge of the military in France

• November 10, 1799 Napoleon took over the government in a coup d’etat

• The legislature dissolved the Directory and established a group of 3 consuls

• Napoleon assumed dictatorial powers as first consul of the French Republic

NAPOLEON’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Economic– Fairer tax codes– Established a national bank– Stabilized currency and gave state loans to

businesses

• Political/Social– Appointed officials by merit– Fired corrupt officials– Created the Napoleonic Code (law code)– Created lycees

Accomplishments cont.

• Religion– Recognized Catholicism as the “faith of Frenchmen”– Signed concordat with the pope– Retained seized church lands

Napoleon as Emperor• Decided to make himself

emperor in 1804• Took the crown from the pope

and placed it on his own head, signaling that he was more powerful than the church

• Expanded his empire to include most of Europe by either taking over territories or forcing them to ally themselves with France

NAPOLEON’S THREE COSTLY MISTAKES

• The Continental System – a blockade of Great Britain intended to destroy Britain’s commercial and industrial economy

• The Peninsular War – attempt to invade Portugal through Spain enflaming the nationalistic feelings of the Spanish and Portuguese

• Invasion of Russia – disastrous campaign against Russia in 1812 in which Napoleon lost nearly 400,000 troops

NAPOLEON’S DOWNFALL

• A coalition of European nations waged war against France (Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Austria)

• In April 1814, Napoleon gave up his throne and was exiled to the island of Elba

• Louis XVIII (brother of Louis XVI) was named king of France, but was unpopular among the masses

• Napoleon escaped on March 1, 1815 and within days was again emperor of France

NAPOLEON’S FINAL DEFEAT

• Napoleon’s forces were defeated at Waterloo, Belgium on June 17, 1815 by British forces led by the Duke of Wellington

• Napoleon was shipped to St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic

• He lived there in exile for six years. He died in 1821 of a stomach ailment (probably cancer)

REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS AND NAPOLEON

REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS ACCOMPLISHED:•Restored peace with the Church•Codified laws•Centralized the government •Created a new aristocracy based on service to the government•New economic policy and the Bank of France

REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS DESTROYED:•Liberty was replaced by despotism•Limited freedom of the press by shutting down newspapers