Download Napoleon - École St. Joseph School

Napoleon
Born to a poor nobleman, he became a military hero that
eventually moved France from a republic to an empire – and
then lost all of his power in defeat.
But despite his losses, Napoleon helped to create the sense of
French nationalism that still exists today.
Why Napoleon was Successful
• worked his way up through the military ranks
(military genius)
• after fighting in Egypt, Napoleon found the
government corrupt and threatened by coup
d’etats.
– After 10 years of revolution, France was desperate for
a strong man to take charge, so he overthrows the
government with help from members of the
government
• Europe was divided into small states and
individually could not defeat his military
• He was inspirational
• Eventually he crowned himself Emperor
(destroying the idea of a republic) – this gave
people a feeling of greater national pride.
– E.g. forced Spain to give him all of Louisiana and
then sold this to the United States to have money
to fight Britain
Domestic Reforms
• created a national bank and reformed taxes to
improve the economy
• redefined legal and education systems, created
professional civil servants (Napoleonic Code)
• restored power to the Roman Catholic Church
• Legion of Honor – encouraged people to show their
nationalism by going above and beyond
• Public Works programs (like improving streets in
Paris, building monuments like Arc du Triomphe)
All of these activities were steps towards the
creation of the
modern nation-state that had begun during the
French Revolution.
Foreign Affairs
• Napoleon’s military genius meant several
victories that led to the French Empire, which
spread the ideas of nationalism throughout
Europe
• encouraged the creation of nationalism
amongst the oppressed populations (e.g. Italy
and the Confederation of the Rhine
(Germany))
Why Napoleon Failed
– Weakness of dictatorial rule
– War with Europe
• Russia (got caught in the Russian winter without
supplies because of slash and burn)
• Lack of naval strength leads to defeats by the British
– Continental System – attempt to defeat British by
impacting international trade
• After Russian campaign, Europe joins together to
defeat Napoleon’s army and exile him to the island
of Elba
• Napoleon escapes prison, returns to Paris and raises
another army to fight against the Concert of Europe
• Battle of Waterloo – nations of Europe unite against
Napoleon and exile him to the island of St Helena
The Rise of the Nation-State
• Napoleon’s domestic reforms established a clearly
organized state based on egalitarianism and
meritocracy, which is the basis of many modern
western societies today (including the separation of
church and state (secularism), and the importance of
education in encouraging an egalitarian meritocracy)
• Building monuments like the Arc de Triomphe and
the creation of the Legion of Honor made French
citizens loyal to the state – willing to die for their
patriotism (as seen by the support for the military)
Stop and Think
• How could the events during the Napoleonic
Era contribute to a sense of nationalism?
Choose at least three events that you believe
were a factor in increasing French
nationalism, and explain why.
– This could include the formation of governments,
domestic reforms, or foreign affairs