Download (Section III): Napoleon (not Dynamite)

Section III: Napoleon Bonaparte
(Pages 448-452)
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This section is about:
How Napoleon rose quickly
within the ranks to become a
general in the French
Revolutionary Army.
How Napoleon began to play a
larger role within France’s
government until he was
named emperor for life.
How Napoleon led successful
attacks against other European
powers and built a French
empire.
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Napoleon’s a name
just about everyone’s
heard several times.
Many people know one
or two “facts” about
him.
It’ll be nice to know
more about him.
The pictures on pages
449 and 451 are pretty
good descriptions of
Napoleon’s image.
Napoleon’s Beginnings
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When the Reign of Terror
died down, most people
realized it had been a bad
thing (lot of innocent people
killed).
The government was shaky
at the time and needed a
strong leader.
An army officer from Corsica
took advantage of a chaotic
situation.
Early Life and Achievements
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Napoleon’s family was a little
important in Italy, so he got to
go to a good school.
He went to a French prep
school and then a military
academy (excellent math and
geometry student).
He quickly became an officer
and took an oath of loyalty to
the constitution.
He was even part of the
soldiers who tried to control
the angry mobs after the
revolution.
Early Victories
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In 1793, France was at war with
Austria, Spain, Britain, and the
Netherlands (along with some civil
wars in France).
This was all to keep the “Royalists”
from coming back in to France to
re-gain control.
Napoleon’s leadership skills were
noticed and he was made a general.
By 1794, Napoleon asked for, and
led an attack on the Austrians.
He was now recognized and praised
for his abilities.
A “Whiff of Grapeshot”
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The National Convention was
coming up and everything was
pretty stirred up in France.
Napoleon was asked to keep
order (and he was given all of
Paris’ soldiers to work with).
When the crowd became too
worked up, Napoleon had his
men shoot at them – at close
range with what was called
“grapeshot.”
This would wound a lot of
people (lots of blood) but
usually didn’t kill.
It worked – the Royalists
didn’t take over the
convention – and Napoleon
had become famous.
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Napoleon wanted more and
asked to be put in charge of a
campaign in Italy.
He wanted to invade and make
it part of France.
The convention agreed to his
plan but… this was different
for France.
They were now changing their
policy of only defending – now
they were attacking.
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Napoleon was successful (and
the with Austria and then
Belgium).
Napoleon was France’s
greatest military hero.
In 1797 he returned to Paris –
ready to create a new
government.
The Directory
and… Napoleon’s Rise to Power
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People eventually got tired of
the National Convention (the
Reign of Terror, too many
“Royalists”).
They were replaced with “the
Directory.”
2/3’s of the Directory were
the former National
Convention – the other 1/3
was elected.
This was not a good group –
they were mostly concerned
with keeping their power and
not with changing France into
a republic.
A government where people pick leaders to represent them
………………
returning “immigrants”
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The Directory passed laws
against “emigres” trying to
return to France.
They were mostly former
Second Estate aristocrats.
Eventually laws were passed
which allowed them to come
back, but they could have no
political rights.
The Directory also went after
the First Estate.
Thousands of priests were
arrested, deported, or sent to
prison in other places.
The Directory also tried to
control the Roman Catholic
Church (who had been hooked
in with the old monarchs).
Rise to First Consul
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Napoleon was rewarded for his
victories: made a member of
“the Institute” – for important
men.
He was bored – he wanted
some “action”
He decided to attack Great
Britain (in Egypt).
This was okay with the other
people of the Directory – they
wanted him to leave Paris and
stop trying to take control
there.
He didn’t do too well against
the British and came home.
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France's Napoleon Bonaparte
(1769-1821) invaded Egypt in
July 1798 with 400 ships and
55,000 soldiers in an attempt to
control the commercial land
route to India and deal a
significant blow to Britain's
economy. During the relatively
brief period of the French
occupation (his troops
surrendered to the British in
September 1801), Napoleon
encouraged more than 150
artists, engineers,
mathematicians, naturalists and
scientists (savants) to record
with exacting precision Egypt's
buildings, its monuments, flora,
fauna and terrain as well as the
region's society and forms of
commerce.
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While Napoleon was in Egypt,
the Directory was having
problems.
They couldn’t get a
constitution written.
The citizens didn’t trust them.
It was decided to dissolve the
Directory – but who’d be in
charge?
Three men – called counsuls.
You thought Napoleon, didn’t
you?
He was one of the consuls
though – and the most
powerful – the only one who
could control the people.
The Code Napoleon
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Napoleon completely organized
the French government on all
levels.
He set up a school system.
He formed a national bank.
He signed a concordat
(agreement) with the Pope
that the French Church would
be under Napoleon’s control.
He pretty much made up the
code of laws France still uses
today – The Code Napoleon.
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The Code Napoleon gave the
citizens the right to own
property, the right to make
contracts, and the equal
application of the law to all
citizens.
Napoleon combined the good
old traditions with the ideas of
the new one.
By 1802, Napoleon had become
First Consul, a military dictator,
and the sole ruler of France –
named: Napoleon I: Emperor
of France for Life.
He crowned himself – so it
didn’t look like anyone else
made him leader or that he
owed anyone for doing it.
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Napoleon’s Victories
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Don’t forget: Napoleon was a
military man.
He was constantly leading him
men into battle (on horseback).
He never fought a war in which
he was attacked first.
He always knew his enemies
weak spots and attacked there
first.
He always made good peace
agreements for France.
Napoleon and France fought:
the Austrians and the Russians,
beating both.
It seemed like France was
unstoppable.