Napoleon Becomes Ruler of France
How Napoleon Bonaparte Rules the French
By 1789, many people were tired of the Directory. Napoleon, along with his brother Lucien, joined a group of conspirators to take over the government. On November 9, 1799 Napoleon ousted the Directors and the next day the assembly was disbanded by soldiers with bayonettes.
First Consul For Life
Napoleon declared himself to be first consul for life, in a move reminiscent of Julius Caesar during the Roman Republic. A new constitution was passed that solidified his position and power. Even though France was a republic, all the real power lay with Napoleon.
To further consolidate his power, Napoleon worked out unofficial as well as official agreements with some of the most powerful groups in France. He established a series of codes, known as the Napoleonic Codes, which provided that all citizens were equal before the law. It also protected peasants, many of whom had received lands seized from the Catholic Church and the nobility.
Napoleon also helped establish the Bank of France, with the leading bankers of Paris. In the Concordat of 1801, Napoleon made a deal with the Church in which he gained power over church clerics. Lastly, he offered up amnesty to most of the nobility who had been living in exile during the revolution. All but 1000 die hard royalists returned to France, swearing an oath to the new government. They joined a new group of aristocrats created by Napoleon as a way to reward his top generals and government advisors.
Napoleon Creates a Centralized Government
The strength of Napoleons rule lay with his government. He created a series of prefects, sub-prefects and mayors. He removed most local authority to a federal level. In 1802 he created the Legion of Honor, in which he rewarded soldiers and civilians with honorary titles and government positions. He knew exactly how to win loyalty of his people and keep it. He even went so far as to create a Council of State, which was more or less a puppet government just for show.
Napoleons central government did have some positive effects. It helped complete the national unity of France, which would last over a century, through WWII.
Napoleonic Codes
French law was a tangled mess ever since the revolution broke out in 1789. To help bring about much needed stability, Napoleon created a series of new laws, known as the Napoleonic Codes. Napoleon addressed several different areas, the most important of which provided that all citizens were equal before the law. It also protected peasants, many of whom now farmed on land confiscated from the Catholic Church during the French Revolution. Thanks to the Napoleonic Codes peasants were able to keep their lands, keeping the French countryside a distinct mix of small farms, rather than tracts of large landowners.
Economic Conditions Improve Under Napoleon
Another big factor for Napoleon’s success as ruler of France was the improvements he made to the economy. Unlike the French monarch, Napoleon practiced reasonable taxation. Tax collection was very efficient, with tax collectors under careful supervision. This resulted in more tax revenue for the state. Workers had steady income and tolerable living conditions, instead of living in squalor and being either unemployed or worked to death. Tariffs placed on imported goods, particularly those from Great Britain, helped spur the growth of the textile industry in France. All of these changes, coupled with revenue of conquered territories from the Napoleonic Wars helped establish France as a major political player in Europe.
Sources:
Lang, Sean. European History For Dummies. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, LTD. 2006.
May, Arthur J. A History of Civilization: Second Edition. Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1964.
Mckay, Hill, Buckler. A History of World Societies: Volume II Since 1500. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1992.
Napoleon as Emperor of France
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