How Far Did Napoleon Maintain the Ideals of the French...

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†¦show more content†¦Napoleon also claimed there was ‘freedom of speech’: this was not true. Napoleon made sure that all newspapers wrote news he approved of: he censored all press and made sure that everything delivered was official propaganda. He reduced the amount of political journals published from 73 to 9 and made it clear there were to be no new ones. All articles were written by Napoleon himself or one of his ministers. On top of that, more than half of the printing-presses were shut down and remaining publishers were forced to take an oath declaring loyalty to the government. This again points to the fact that Napoleon centralised his reign and made sure that the legislature had little to no power. The fact that Napoleon re-wrote the constitution that had previously been written-up shows that he made sure of the fact that the legislature was much less powerful: in the Constitution Napoleon wrote effectively gave him all power: this caused some people to believe the end of the French Revolution had arrived. However, Napoleon partially copied the previous constitution. All the citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally admissible to all public dignities, places, and employments, according to their capacity and without distinction other than that of their virtues and of their talents – a quote from the Declaration of Rights of Man. Napoleon often declared his belief in ‘equal opportunities for all’ but as far as education was concerned,Show MoreRelatedâ€Å"His Main Aim Was to Himself in Power† How Far Do You Agree with This View of Napoleon Bonaparte from 1799 to 1850?900 Words   |  4 Pagespower† How far do you agree with this view of Napoleon Bonaparte from 1799 to 1850? Napoleon Bonaparte was created by the revolution of 1789. In his 15 years of ruling, he managed to consolidate many of the aims of the French Revolution., However, whilst doing so, Napoleon also destroyed many aspects of the Revolution, breaking the trust and hope the people of France had in Napoleon when he promised to honour the revolution. Napoleon ruled the way he wanted to stay in power. Napoleon was aRead MoreNapoleon Bonaparte and The French Revolution2105 Words   |  8 PagesNapoleon and The French revolution Napoleon Bonaparte was a visionary to some, and a ruthless ruler to others. The purpose of the French revolution was to free the oppressed and stop the bloodshed that was occurring in France. The real question is whether Napoleon was the legitimate heir to the visions of the French revolution. Napoleon was in essence a very powerful man that took control of France but threw out many of the ideals of the French Revolution. His actions during his takeover whereRead MoreTo what extent is the Haitian revolution connected with the French revolution?3850 Words   |  16 PagesAmbassador to Russia said, â€Å"In retrospect, all revolutions seem inevitable. Beforehand, all revolutions seem impossible.† The same was the case with the Haitian Revolution that started in 1791 and finally ended with the independence of Haiti in 1805. The slaves of Haiti could never have imagined rising up against the authorities let alone doing it and seeing it through till its end. Light a match and see the fire spread. The match was the French Revolution which not only left its permanent mark on historyRead MoreGeorge Orwells Animal Farm Essay examples2468 Words   |  10 Pages† Equality, in the tightest definition, places all members of society at the same socioeconomic levels. The â€Å"more equal than others† connotates that equality can be added li ke a unit, and equality can essentially become unequal. The revolt’s later ideals do not align with the original idea of equality. Also in this defamatory tale, situational irony is used in an attempt to poke fun at our supreme totalitarianism. The original revolt revolved around the replacement of the â€Å"corrupt† humans with animalsRead MoreNationalism in Europe Essay872 Words   |  4 Pageswith Nationalism, shows us how powerful a nation can be when united for a common cause. Nationalism is the love and devotion to ones country, where devotion stands for the spirit to protect the needs and ideals of the nation. Nationalism acted as a unifying force in Europe for much of the nineteenth century when unification movements were frequent. The unification of Italy and Germany, are prime examples of nationalism at work. By the end of the French revolution and Napoleanic wars, nationalismRead MoreFrench Revolution Impact On Romantic Poetry1829 Words   |  8 PagesFrench Revolution Effects on Romantic Poetry During the nineteenth century, one of the most crucial events to have influenced British society were French Revolution ideals. Their beliefs of liberty and freedom were upon some of the most cherished in life. As Romantics appreciated imagination, emotion, and nature, they were prompted to adopt these French beliefs in a newly profound manner. Romantic poets had broken down boundaries not just in poetry, but in the lives of the British as well. As thisRead MoreHistorians Views on Bismark5250 Words   |  21 PagesExperiences Hajo Holburn Bismarcks youth was one that he led on his own not wanting to be led or ordered by anyone but himself. It was not until his conversion to Christianity and his marriage that he started to become a force in Germany, although he did not care for the Christian dogmas. Bismarck believed strongly that God had set up government and it was not to be changed as the liberals had wanted. Bismarck viewed war as to honor the state not as just for prestige. He never believed that ParliamentRead MoreThe Development of International Relations4170 Words   |  17 PagesINTRODUCTION This paper begins by outlining the definitions and what exactly is meant by international relations. Secondly, it tells the story of how and why the study of international relations emerged when it did, during the course of modern history. Even though, the history and the origins of this discipline alone does not reveal everything we need to know about how international relations functions in this day and age, it certainly would help us to understand the legacy left behind by this study’s originalRead MoreThe Politics of the Louisiana Purchase Essay2364 Words   |  10 Pagespeopled.† His motives for the intense eye on American expansion were greatness for his country, as well as for himself. He was disgusted with the idea of North America being divided into nation-states like Europe. His goal was for the ideals of the American Revolution to spread over the whole continent. He passed and helped pass some of the legislation that helped early America expand. He co-au thored the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which allowed for states to be made from the territory east of theRead MoreHamiltonian vs Jeffersonian Democracies5550 Words   |  23 Pagesweak and unsuccessful to treat with huge domestic and international crises. Alexander Hamilton Hamilton, however, believed that Washington should publicly declare that the United States would remain out of the war,  Washington did eventually deny Genets request, but he did not declare the 1778 treaty void, as Hamilton suggested. Genet was allowed to continue his recruitment campaign, which nearly prompted Great Britain to declare war on the United States. Washington ordered Genet to return to France