05 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
1 FEATURES OF THE NAPOLEONIC REGIME
Napoleon accumulated many government powers during the Consulate period
He established hereditary power to ensure his regime would continue
The consolidation of his power
Internal stability after a decade of chaos and fear of conspiracies against him
His power, his successes abroad
Napoleon was crowned emperor of the French in 1804, after being asked by the Senate
2 THE RISE AND FALL OF NAPOLEON’S EMPIRE
Napoleon’s Empire was the starting point of the modern French State
NAPOLEON’S REFORMS
He established an authoritarian government
He ended some revolutionary achievements
He created a repressive regime
He created the French Civil Code
He boosted the economy
He laid the foundations for modern educational models
He improved the Public Administration
He controlled the executive and legislative powers, and the appointment of judges
This came both from
Jacobins and Republicans
Supporters of the Bourbon dynasty
Was the model for subsequent legal codes
He ensured the equality of all citizens before the law
He founded the Central Bank of France to centralise the minting of money and finance his war campaigns
He refored the university and by creating secondary schools and high schools
He created a Court of Accounts
Napoleon achieved success and fame as a young military man
This helps understand another essential characteristic of the Napoleonic Empire, its expansive nature.
Napoleon resurrected the idea of a European empire
He tried to create a new world order in Europe in which France enjoyed hegemonic power
His main enemies were the absolute monarchies
Mainly Austria, Prussia and Russia
All Napoleon could do was proclaim a continental blockade
THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
FIRST PHASE (1804–1812)
Napoleon’s repeated victories against the great absolutist powers
Led to control of Italy and Central Europe and to the dissolution of the Holy Empire
He also invaded Spain
His reign was unstable and he faced a long conflict
The British fleet won the Battle of Trafalgar, taking control of the seas
SECOND PHASE (1812–1815)
In 1812, Napoleon tried to conquer Russia, but his army was heavily defeated
The interminable war in Spain led to Napoleon’s defeat and exile in 1814
He briefly regained power
But in 1815, the British and their allies finally defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo
