Download Napoleon Lecture

Opening Question (12.13)
 Put these events in chronological order…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Death of Robespierre
Tennis Court Oath
Storming of the Bastille
Execution of Louis XVI
Napoleon’s Coup D’etat
Directory is created
Start of the Reign of Terror
Declaration of the Rights of Man created
Formation of the French Republic
The Rise and Fall of Napoleon
“Napoleonic Era” 1799-1814
His legacy and impact on Europe
12.3.09
Lets Review
 French Revolution
 Starts with Third Estate forming as the
National Assembly
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tennis Court Oath
Storming of the Bastille (July 14th 1789)
Declaration of the Rights of Man (Aug. 1789)
Louis XVI is taken into Paris by commoners
Trial and Error gov’ts
 Constitution of 1791 (lasted less than a
year)
 French Republic (1792-1795)
 Extremist (Jacobins take power and start
“Reign of Terror”)
 Directory (1795-1799)
 Not very effective (5 Directors fight for power)
 Instability leads Generals to have more power
over the army – especially a popular one…
 Ends with the rise of Napoleon to power
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
 Born in 1769 in Corsica (island in Mediterranean Sea)
- noble status
 Received scholarship to elite military school at age 15
 officer at 16
 Became a general during the Revolution
 1796 – put in charge of French Army in Austria and Italy
 Turned things around and won big victories
 Made him popular with people
 1799 returns to Paris amid military/political chaos
 Takes advantage of the situation…
Napoleon’s rise to power
“I found the crown of France in the gutter and
I picked it up with my sword” quoted from
Napoleon
 Coup D’etat (1799)– a sudden and
unconstitutional overthrow of the
government
 Why did it happen?
 Threat of foreign nations
 Desire for stability yet did not want a return to the
old regime
Napoleon’s Rule
 1799-1804 (Consulate)
 Napoleon is first consul (more like a dictator
though)
 A new Constitution is put up to a plebiscite (vote
by people) and it passes
 Centralized government to give himself complete
power
 Puts his loyal military commanders in charge
 Sets up departments (states) that answer to him
How did he rule???
 Suppresses all opposition to his
government
 Paris newspapers go from 73 to 13
and then to 4 (all government
controlled)
 He was a constant working on both
military and politics affairs
 Only took short breaks to eat small
meals for a few minutes
Return to the Church
 1801 – Concordat (Agreement w/
Catholic Church)
 Agreed to settle dispute with Catholic
Church
 Church officials paid by French state
(Protestant ones too… religious toleration)
 Pope Pius VII supports Napoleon’s regime
Napoleon as Emperor
 Another Plebiscite is put to people
 This on would make Napoleon Emperor (1804)
 People vote yes and Pope crowns Napoleon and his wife
Josephine
 Napoleon now looks to conquer Europe
Napoleonic Code (1804)
 Believed in many ideals of French Revolution
 Took all privileges away from Nobility, church
officials, and rich people
 Set up a single unified code of law for France
 Ensured property rights for all men
 Religious freedom
 Mandatory high school (Lycee) for all boys
 Protected the rights of all men
 set them up as equals before the law
 Suppressed freedom of speech and women’s rights
though 
Napoleon’s conquest

Drafted large number of men for his Grand Army
(under his direct control)


Reorganizes the army, based on merit and achievement
French Republic already conquered Italy and the
Netherlands

Napoleon defeats the Austrians, Prussians and Russians at
several major battles
 Seems invincible – helps him maintain control

In every area he conquers he does two things
1. Puts the Napoleonic Code into effect
2. Puts a relative on the throne of that country
Napoleon’s conquest
 Napoleon conquers Spain, Germanic states,
Italy, and Austria
 Basically controls continental Europe
 No one had this much control of Europe since the Roman
Empire about 1500 years before
 Napoleon goes after Britain too
 Loses naval invasion in 1805
 British Gen. Horatio Nelson leads Brits (dies in battle)
 “Continental System” – 1806
 Blockade of Britain by Napoleon
 Not popular with other European nations (Why?)
France and Europe under Napoleon
 Napoleon sets up Napoleonic Code in every
region he conquers
1. Abolishes serfdom and feudalism everywhere
2. Gives Civil Rights to Jewish people and other
religious minorities (religious freedom)
3. Builds roads, schools, public works, etc…
 Raises taxes and uses draft too in these areas
4. Introduces new military tactics all over Europe
(modernize warfare)
 Prussia makes reforms in military to keep up
5. Organizes Germanic and Italian States
 Unintentionally leads to rise in nationalism
 Nationalism spreads to every region of Europe
End of Day Question (12/13)
 Why is the Napoleonic Code so
important to the history of Europe?
How did change the mindsets and
lives of people in not only France, but
many other European countries as
well?
 Next Class we will discuss Napoleon’s
downfall… and the return to order of
Europe
Napoleon’s Downfall starts
 Peninsular Wars (1808-1814)
 Between Spain and France
 Napoleon send 100,000 troops to invade Portugal
(British aid Portugal)
 Napoleon put his bro Joseph on the Spanish throne
(1808)
 Spanish people fight for their freedom
 Spanish people revolt and win with British help
 Napoleon commits 250,000 troops there for 6 years
 Hurts French economy badly
 Spanish set up a limited monarchy and include many
ideals from the French Revolution
 Think about the Spanish peasants that fought in the war…
Napoleon goes after Russia
 1812 – Russia starts to trade with Britain
 Napoleon gets angry and decides to attack Russia
 Recruits 600,000 person army (Grand Army) and
marches into Russia
 “Scorched-Earth Policy” – Russians retreat and burn
everything of use down in the process
 French reach Moscow and nothing is left
 Oct. 19th 1812 – Napoleon orders retreat (Winter is
coming…)
 French are attacked all the way back
 Loss of 400,000 men to sickness, starvation,
fighting, and capture
 Cripples Napoleon’s army and then Russia decides
to invade French territory
The rest of Europe smells blood!!
 European nations unite for revenge
 Leipzig Alliance (Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia)
Beat France at Battle of Leipzig in Oct. 1813
Napoleon’s allies and satellite states desert him
 Capture Paris in March 1814
Napoleon is removed from power by the French
Senate
 Allies force Napoleon to give up crown and banish
him to island of Elba, Italy
 Louis XVIII is given the throne and most of
Napoleon’s reforms are kept intact
Napoleon will not go away (The
Hundred Days)
 Louis XVIII is not too popular
 Has to flee country when Napoleon returns
 March 20th 1815 – Napoleon returns and
marches French army into Paris
 Reinstates his army officers and takes back power
 People support him as he marched towards Paris
 June 18th – Napoleon forces meets European
forces under British lead at the Battle of
Waterloo (in present day Belgium)
 Napoleon loses and the British banish him to St.
Helena island in the off the coast of Africa (he
dies 6 years later @ 52 – 1821)
Effects of Napoleonic Era
 Napoleon could not keep power once
he lost on the battle field
 750,000 French Soldiers died
 400,000 from other French controlled
countries
 New form of government (military state)
 Changed France and Europe forever
 Introduction of modern forms of
democracy, Republicanism, terrorism,
nationalism, and military dictatorship
Napoleon’s legacy
 More secular societies
 No more absolute monarchy in France or
Spain
 Increase in Nationalism throughout Europe
 Democratic ideals spread through Europe
 Spread the legal reforms of the French
Revolution
Imagine the ideals of the Revolution hitting
everywhere in Europe
 End of feudalism in Europe
New freedom to many former serfs
 New ideas scare European powers
Congress of Vienna (1815)
 Attempt by other European Nations to restore order and
security to Europe after the Napoleonic Era
 3 major principles
1. Compensation for countries that suffered under
Napoleon (both money and land)
2. Restore balance of power (no country too powerful)
 Even kept France powerful
3. Rule of Legitimacy – all former ruling families restored
to power
 Also protected the status of smaller states
New alliances aimed at
maintaining peace
 Concert of Europe was created
 International group of states to keep
safety in Europe
 Holy Alliance was created
 Russia w/ Prussia and Austria (new
system of relations)
British and others in western Europe
refuse to join
New Political Ideals form in 1800’s
 Conservatism
1. Believed in restoration of old order in
Europe
 Wanted to keep things the same
 Believed that only the ones of the highest
status should rule – (Brings stability)
2. Appealed to Monarchs and Nobility
Liberalism in the 1800’s –
(like conservatism today)
1. Wanted change but not full equality
 Believed economic inequality was natural
 Wanted the ideals and reforms of the
Revolution
2. Appealed to Wealthy Merchants and
Businessmen
 Believe in free enterprise and democracy
 Rise of capitalism, they want power to
match their wealth
End of Day Question (1.6.09)
 Looking at the two philosophies we
have just discussed, which one do
you believe will become more
influential and powerful, conservatism
or liberalism? Why?