Napoleon Bonaparte-Background

 

Napoleon was born in Corsica, a small island of the coast of Italy, just after the island became a French territory.  Napoleon came from a large family and was always a strong-willed and disagreeable son.  He had 7 brothers and sisters and he had a strong sense of family that would come into play when he later ruled France.  Napoleon’s was educated in Jesuit schools until he was old enough to enter military school.  He excelled while there and discovered a fondness for artillery.  Rising through the ranks of the French military all Napoleon needed was an opportunity to showcase his ability to lead.

 

That opportunity presented itself at the event known as the whiff of the grapeshot.  When Napoleon fired on the mob of royal protesters, he was rewarded with the rank of general and command of the armies in northern Italy.  He quickly defeated the Austrians who had controlled the area but returned to France when he heard of the continued unrest there.  With the help of his brother and two other members of the Directory, Napoleon was able to force that body out of power and take control.  This type of rapid government change is known as a coup d’etat.

 

            Napoleon quickly issued a new constitution that gave power in France to the First Consul of a three-person Consulate.  Despite his moves to claim all power in France for himself, the French people loved Napoleon.  Napoleon was very popular and his new constitution was readily accepted.

 

Napoleon’s Accomplishments in France

 

With France and Europe enjoying a short period of piece, Napoleon set to making some lasting changes to France.  His first task was to set up a strong central government.  His efforts were so successful that France today is still ruled from Paris much in the way Napoleon had planned.  To assist in centralizing the government, Napoleon revamped the legal system.  Named the Napoleonic Code, it was important because it included many democratic principals such as religious tolerance, trial by jury and other fair legal methods.

           

            To further strengthen the government Napoleon established the University of France.  This was not a college but a government bureau responsible for looking after the schools of France.  New secondary schools called lycees were established.  These schools were to teach what Napoleon wanted establishing a system of accepted information in France.  Colleges were also developed where graduation was required to get into the Big Schools in Paris where people trained to be teachers and engineers.

 

            France still had a money problem.  To solve it, Napoleon established the Bank of France which provided a basis for an economic system that could make France prosperous again.  Napoleon was able to efficiently collect taxes and enforced economic principals in the government.  Business was also encouraged under Napoleon’s regime.

            Napoleon also had to solve the problems with the Catholic Church.  The earlier stages of the French Revolution had caused a lot of tension between the church and the government.  The Church had seen its lands confiscated and had been forced to accept the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.  To regain the confidence and support of the Church leaders Napoleon made an agreement with the Pope called the Concordat.  This agreement once again made Catholicism the official religion of France and provided payment for parish priests.  In return, the Pope agreed to give up all claims to the lands taken from the Church by the National Assembly.

 

            Napoleon also worked to make France more beautiful.  He undertook many public works, improved roads, dug canals and deepened harbors.  He worked to enlist prominent people to help with these tasks.  To gain this support, Napoleon created the Legion of Honor which officially honored those who made outstanding contributions to France.

 

            Napoleon was incredibly successful at home and abroad and the people of France were ready to give him what he wanted which was the position of First Consul for life.  This position was essentially a dictatorship but France agreed.  When Napoleon decided he wanted to be Emperor of France, a referendum was held and he was supported by an overwhelming majority. By 1804, Napoleon was the Emperor of France and now that his home country was in order he was looking for new worlds to conquer much to Europe’s dismay.