The three main focuses of the French Revolution were liberté, égalité, and fraternité. Napoleon’s action show that he supported liberté and égalité, and therefore Napoleon supported the revolution.
Napoleon supported liberté, a main focus of the revolution. In other words Napoleon supported citizens having personal freedoms. In a speech to his troops before his coup d’etat, Napoleon said “friends, I promise you this conquest; but there is one condition you must swear to fulfill--to respect the people whom you liberate” (Document C). Here, Napoleon explains that when he takes over the government, the people of France will be liberated. Since he says he plans to liberate people, it shows he supported liberté. In a conversation with his doctor on St. Helena, Barry O’meara, Napoleon explained “my imperial government was a kind of republic. I was called the head (leader) of it by the voice of the people” (Document F). In this quote Napoleon points out how his
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In other words, Napoleon supported all citizens being treated equally. In a document written by Napoleon, he said “new schools are being opened and inspectors have been appointed to see that the instruction does not degenerate into vain and sterile examinations” (Document A). In this document Napoleon is talking about the new schools he is opening. This shows he supported égalité because opening schools allowed more kids to receive an education. The Napoleonic Code stated that “the exercise of civil rights is independent of the quality of the citizen” (Document L). Since Napoleon gave everyone the same rights, it shows he supported égalité. Finally, Napoleon created the Bank of France. This bank collected taxes from each citizen so that the government could make loans to businesses (Murphy 12/1216). This shows Napoleon supported égalité because everyone had to pay the taxes. Also all businesses could receive loans from the Bank of
The French Revolution began in 1789 due to the discontent of the Third Estate being unequal to the First Estate, who were exempt from taxes and held special privileges. Although, Louis XVI attempted to tax the First Estate in order to fix France, who is on the verge of bankruptcy. However, the First Estate refused to be taxed because it goes against the traditions imposed years ago. Louis XVI attempted to solve this by calling the Estates-General, where all three estates could meet and attempt to settle issues. The Estates-General failed to solve any problems, with that the Third Estate decided to separate and form the National Assembly. The liberal phase was primarily focused on turning France into a constitutional monarchy, where the National
Not only did he like people seeing him, but he liked them viewing him as the pristine example to follow. In a letter to his brother Joseph, which he had made King of Spain, Napoleon says, “your character is quite different from mine” (doc 3). In this quote, he is telling that people are different, but that he is the control of the group with his ways. Napoleon expresses that he is just like everyone else, “Before I became a ruler, I was a student” (doc 2) but everyone should be like him and go to school because he turned out well and so should they if the do as him. Napoleon created a code/law that everyone had to follow. With that being said, it was him who made the laws so everyone must follow what he says
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who became the emperor of France after the French Revolution, in the year 1804. Napoleon made his Civil Code to unify the laws of France. When he conquered Europe, he brought along ideas of the French Revolution such as equality under the law. His conquests also brought about nationalism in defeated countries, which would fuel the way for their own revolutions, such as in the Revolutions of 1848. The growth of conservatism at the Congress of Vienna was a reaction to Napoleon’s ideas, but it could not stop the new ideas that came from Napoleon’s reign.
On the other hand, Napoleon provided the people of France with the Napoleonic Code and therefore freedom and justice; as he wasn’t particularly religious people could not confuse this act for selfishness it was obviously to make the people of France truly happy.
The French Revolution of 1789 had many long-range causes. Political, social, and economic conditions in France mad many French people discontented. Most disaffected were merchants, artisans, workers, and peasants. The ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers brought new views of government and society. The American Revolution also influenced the coming of The French Revolution. Therefore, The French Revolution of 1789 had several causes not only due to political, but also due to social and economic issues and problems as well that made France ripe for revolution. The most important long-range causes of this revolution, however, were the ideas of the Enlightenment, the unfair taxes, the gap between the rich and poor, and the American Revolution
Napoleon Bonaparte is sometimes viewed as a democratic reformer, the views he expressed to give people this image was a complete lie. In a letter Napoleon sent to his brother after defeating the Prussians, Bonaparte says that he believes in public trials along with liberty, equality, and prosperity. These statements are the ideas of the French Revolution and what he told the citizens of France that he believed in. These ideas are what a democratic reformer would believe in and what made him popular during the revolution among the people. These viewpoints he expressed in this letter are not those of which he gave to the people of France. In December of 1812 Bonaparte said to other European monarchs, “Since I have worn a crown I have shown clearly enough that I mean to close the door on revolution. The sovereigns of Europe are indebted to me for stopping the revolutionary storm that threatened their thrones.” With these words he proves that he has no intention of giving the people of France a democracy and that he plans to stop the revolution. The belief that Napoleon Bonaparte is a democratic reformer is based solely on his words and not his action, making them lies to his people.
In France in 1789, A revolution began. The people of France were fighting for their inalienable rights such as freedom from serfdom , equality between the classes. Within this chaos in France, Napoleon, a new thinker, came about and changed France in many ways. Napoleon's policies can be seen as preserving the legacy of the French Revolution by giving equality to the lower classes and creating a governmental system that helped to put the people in charge of their sovereignty, however it can be seen as hurting the legacy by protecting the ideas of absolutism.
Not only did Voltaire shape the French government, but his ideas also ended up in the United States Bill of Rights. Voltaire fought for civil rights, such as the right to a fair trial and freedom of religion and speech. Early on, Voltaire realized that the Ancien Regime was injustice. He realized that the First Estate (the clergy), the Second Estate (the nobles), and the Third Estate (the commoners and middle class) had an unfair balance of power. He was a large advocate of making the country a more balanced one. When the United States Bill of Rights was written, they made sure to keep the country as equal of power among the people as possible. The amendments of the Bill of Rights limited the powers of the federal government by having checks and balances so that the country wouldn’t end up like France had. The amendments also protected the rights of the citizens. Among the many amendments that were written were freedoms of speech and religion. The Bill of Rights also restricts Congress’ power by prohibiting them from making any law respecting an estalished religion. Moreover, Voltaire spoke openly about having fair trials for all citizens, regardless of who they are. The Bill of Rights
Beginning in 1789, the French Revolution was a time of rebellion, passion, betrayal, death, violence, and perseverance. Before 1789, King Louis XVI was taxing his poorest people heavily, whilst the rich were hardly taxed at all. The socioeconomic system in place at the time, known as the ancien regime, ruthlessly upheld the status quo. When the tension in France rose to a boiling point, fiery, young rebels to rose up against the Monarchy, the Ancien Regime, and the Clergy. These revolutionaries desperately wanted change, and they had three main principles around which their movement centered: Liberté, Égalité, and Fraternité. Liberty is the freedom to do as one pleases so long as one’s actions do not unjustifiably harm others. Equality is being considered the same. Fraternity is a sense of brotherhood and companionship. The goals of the French Revolution were initially achieved with alacrity, however they were abandoned with relative quickness as malcontented leaders quested for, and abused, power and authority.
The bourgeoisie consisted of middle class Frenchman. These people had voted and supported Napoleon through his decade of being in charge. If I had been a member of the bourgeoisie, I would've been satisfied with Napoleons actions. I feel this way because Napoleon had led his empire through many victories. He had also shown a great deal leadership and respect toward his people. Napoleon created multiple uniform policies to help his empire be successful and grow. His tax collection and banking systems were a great strategy because they helped support his army and government. By using this strategy, it helped create peace and order. Napoleon cared about eliminating corruption within his government, so through his special schools, lycees, he was
Napoleon managed to maintain the lesser ideals of the French Revolution. However, he managed to do this by giving all of the former ideals a ‘twist’ of his own if he was displeased by them. This included the fact that he re-wrote the constitution that had previously been written; he partially reversed the relationship with the Church, turning France into a Catholic country. It can also be stated that the way he gained power was against the French Revolution’s ideals: and this was the very beginning! On the other hand, Napoleon managed to maintain equal taxation, which had previously been a big issue, especially for the poor. Distinction was removed and there were no privileges for any parties neither was there a way to ‘sneak out’ of
Certain individuals approved of Napoleon 's reign as the saviour of France. He finished and completed the Revolution by fulfilling the ideals the people of France demanded. A person such as one belonging to the bourgeoisie, or even a peasant would be very satisfied with the way Napoleon ruled over the country. He gave them equality, freedom, justice, and many rights. Such things never existed
The enlightenment was a time of great learning throughout Europe during the eighteenth century. Although the period is significant for scientific and other scholastic advancements, it is most important because it allowed for the opening of great minds—such as that of Napoleon Bonaparte. Shortly after this enlightenment made its way through Europe, revolution and civil war ripped through France between 1879 and 1899. The unrest of the time called for a strong ruler. A man/woman with an open mind and an enlightened soul. France needed a child of the enlightenment to sew its tattered flag. Napoleon Bonaparte was a child of the enlightenment. This was displayed in both his attitudes and
He reinstated Roman Catholicism as the official religion of France through the Concordat of 1801. He introduced the Napoleonic Code, allowing for religious freedoms. As well he put his youthfulness to good use, rebuilding a dejected French army. He had huge victories over Austria, Egypt, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Spain. Overall, by 1812 France and Napoleon controlled directly or by alliance most of western Europe. He also was at the head of efforts to weaken Great Britain and their commerce overseas. These attacks on France's enemies made him very popular amongst the French people and soldiers. In the ways of government, he passed the first Constitution of France as France's
There were many things Napoleon considered a great triumph but there is one that is the greatest and this is called the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code did a lot of good for the French, the first good thing this code did for the French was it gave the country a set in stone, set of laws and it also eliminated any injustices. But this actually promoted order and authority over individual rights. An example of this is the freedom of speech, and press which was established during the revolution. This made it restricted under the code. Another good but bad thing was that the Napoleonic Code brought back slavery into the French colonies that were part of the Caribbean. There are many reasons Napoleon decided to change the current feudal system of laws and royal laws. Before the Napoleonic Code, there was no “Law” for the French to follow, and the royal and rich were very much treated better and had more privileges so during the revolution Napoleon decided that it would be the best to do away with the feudal laws. This was the set of laws he would use, and some of these laws are still in place, in france today.