1.
The French Revolution;
There is a common agreement that Napoleon
was a product of the French Revolution without which, he would have died a
common man. Napoleon’s rise to power was greatly due to the progressive events
of the French Revolution. He exploited the opportunities provided by the
revolution to become Emperor of France, yet he was from a poor family. The
French Revolution contributed in the following ways:
a)
The Revolution abolished social
discriminative class system and offered equality for opportunities for talented
men like Napoleon. i.e., it brought the principle of career opened to talents
where Napoleon was promoted.
b)
The revolution cleared off all
the senior military Generals of Noble class by 1792 especially during reign of Terror.
this created chance for a young Artillery officer Napoleon to come to power.
c)
The Revolution provided chance
for Napoleon to expose his abilities and military talents. i.e., in the Italian
campaign and Egyptian campaign, though he failed in Egypt
d)
The Revolution Government of Directory
that was too weak provided a power vacuum that Napoleon used to come to power. i.e.,
they had failed to fulfill people’s demand.
e)
The revolution created the
internal and external rivalries through which Napoleon got a chance to
participate. He was appointed to guard the Directory government officials in
the assembly against Paris
f)
Napoleon exported the Revolutionary
Ideas of Equality, Liberty
2.
Napoleon’s Personality:
Right from childhood, Napoleon had a sense
of responsibility, endurance the fact that he was from a poor family. Before
coming out of military academy, he had began making plans to liberate Corsica . He was aman of high organizing ability. i.e., he
organized the French army using his good language and he was an orator.
Napoleon believed that he had hidden power. He had ability to create friendship
with people of influence. this made him popular hence, his rise to power.
3. His
Education Background:
Napoleon’s rise to power can also be
attributed to his education. He was educated at the military Academy in Brienne
and later in Paris in France
a)
He read the writings of
political philosophers in history and this widen his reasoning capacity and
leadership skills.
b)
It was from school that he
developed his oratory power and ability to convince people.
c)
He also got military skills
from Academy and that is why he became the best young Artillery officer of the
time.
d)
He was mostly good in
mathematics and political power. This made him popular at school.
4.
Napoleon’s luck:
There were a number of events and
opportunities which Napoleon did not plan but favoured his rise to power. This
can be seen below:
a)
It was by luck that the Corsica Island
was annexed to France
b)
Napoleon was lucky that his
father fluked a scholarship for him to study in the military academy in Brienne
and later in Paris
c)
It was by luck that Napoleon
survived childhood.
d)
His luck made him to survive
the Reign of Terror in France
e)
His luck made him to escape
from Egypt
f)
It was by luck that the French Revolution
took place and swept away all senior military officers leaving a young
Artillery officer Napoleon with chance to rise to power.
g)
He was lucky that the Directory
government was weak and people had lost trust in them and Napoleon was the
immediate option.
h)
Being an in law of Barras was a
great luck to Napoleon to rise to power through a successful coup.
5.
The weakness of the Directory government:
The Directory government was the last
government within the revolutionary period. Its weaknesses and unpopular ties
paved way for Napoleon’s rise to power. It was weak in the following ways:
a)
They had failed to control religious
conflicts in France
b)
They failed to maintain law and
order internally.
c)
The Directors were divided by
ideological differences, e.g., Abbey Sieyes opposed the war against the second
coalition and wanted peace. This confusion provided chance for Napoleon to come
to power ie, he was helped by Abbey sieyes to organize a coup that brought him
to power in 1799.
d)
The Directory government had
failed to solve the problem of corruption that made them unpopular to the
French men.
e)
Directory government had failed
to provide a strong personality to lead France
6. His
association with men of influence:
Napoleon’s rise to power was due to his
close personal relationship with leaders of the French Revolution his
involvement in the French revolution, brought him closer to the revolutionary
leaders and politicians like Robespierre and directors such as Barras, Abbey
Sieyes and Duccus. This led to his rise to power in that:
a)
This gave him chance to exploit
their weaknesses and introduce him to political science that becomes cornerstone
for his rise to power.
b)
His close connection made him
to attend most revolutionary rallies from where he got the skills of organizing
and addressing political rallies. this helped him to dominate.
c)
His association won him support
from Abbey Sieyes that led to the successful coup
In 1799 hence, his rise to power.
7.
His own Ambition:
Napoleon was born naturally ambitious man.
Right from childhood, he used to wear uniforms of soldiers. He would reveal to
fellow children that he would become a soldier and win all the battles. He also
remarked, “My ambition is so natural like the blood
that flows in my veins and cat’s claws which are designed to climb upwards not downwards.”
He was also fond of listening to war stories of soldiers and his ambition led
to his rise to power in the following ways;
a)
Ambition made him to go for
Italian campaign and Egyptian campaign. This helped to increase on his
popularity in France , hence,
his rise to power in France
b)
Ambition made him to organize a
coup against Directory government in 1799.
c)
His ambition made him to
associate with men of influence like Robespierre, Barras, Abbey Sieyes etc that
led to his rise to power.
d)
Event before he came out of
military academy, he had planned to liberate his people of Corsica .
8.
Annexation of Corsica from Italy
The annexation of Corsica
Island a year before his birth made
him to be born a French man entitled to hold and office in France France
9. His
family background:
Napoleon was born to a poor family who used
to have one meal a day. While in his military Academy, Napoleon faced lonely
life and concentrated on military training among the sons and daughters of the
rich. One time he sold his only watch to survive while at the military academy.
His poor family background led to his rise to power in the following ways.
a)
Such hard conditions made him
hard working, very ambitious and had to concentrate on studies. That is why he
was the best in Mathematics and Political Science.
b)
This experience made him to
hate social class division in France
c)
This condition made him very
strong in the battle fields and a hard soldier who enjoyed fighting and could
easily walk long distances without food or water.
d)
By the fact that he was
supposed to be Italian citizen, He later forged French citizenship which
enabled him to acquire military training in the French Academy
10.
Military Genenous:
Napoleon’s military Geneous was also
another factor that brought him to power. During his training in the military
Academy, he was the best young Artillery student and that is why he was called
back after expulsion from the Academy. Even in wars that he fought, Napoleon
proved that he was beyond other ordinary persons. This helped him in the
following ways:
a)
it was from his military
Geneous that he protected the gains and the achievements of the French
Revolution.
b)
It was also his military
Geneous that he protected Directory government officials from the popular “Whiff
of grapeshot” the Philosophies that he used to re activate the morals of his
soldiers reflects his geneous.
c)
In Egypt
d)
His military Geneous en able
him to succeed in the Italian campaign and that gave him popularity.
11.
Improvement in Science:
The role of Scientific and military
advancement was crucial to his rise to power. The Scientific and new
innovations brought in better maps, roads weapons and more mobile Artillery. It
made it easier for Napoleon to organize a coup, made him to succeed in the
whiff of grapeshot which earned him promotion and popularity hence, his rise to
the throne in 1799.
12.
His marriage to Josephine:
Napoleon’s marriage to Josephine also
contributed to his rise to power. In 1796, Napoleon married Josephine who the
daughter of one of the Directors in the Directory government called Barras. The
marriage gave Napoleon greater privileges and powerful connection to leaders of
the directory government. It should be noted that the influence of Napoleon’s
father in law i.e., Barras that gave him the privileges to command the French
troops in the Italian campaign. Marriage also made him respected man and mature
person hence, increased popularity.
13.
The role of his father
The role of Napoleon’s father Charles Bonaparte
was also influential in his rise to power. His father inspired him to work hard
and like his professional career as a soldier, fluked a scholarship for him to
study in Brienne in Italy
and later in Paris in France
14.
The Brumaire Coup D’tat, on the 18th Nov, 1799.
The Brumaire coup was the immediate event
that marked the rise of Napoleon to power. Napoleon conspired with other
Directors.ie Barras and Abbey Sieyes helped him to organize a coup and over
threw the Directory government. This created apolitical vacuum through which
Napoleon rose to power.
ACHIEVEMENTS
OF NAPOLEON IN THE HISTORY OFFRANCE.
Before Napoleon came to power in 1799, France
The
Concordat of 1801
This was an agreement that Napoleon signed
with the Pope in 1801. Before Napoleon came to power, the revolutionary reforms
such as the Nationalization of church land, declaration of civil constitution
of the clergy etc turned the Catholic Church into enemity with the
revolutionaries. But Napoleon reconciled the church and the state as he remarked “A state without religion is like a vessel without
acampass”This agreement was important because:
a)
It made the Catholic to be the
state religion.
b)
Agreement guaranteed the
freedom of worship.
c)
According to the agreement, the
clergy became the civil servants who were paid and appointed by the government.
2.
Ownership of land and property:
Free ownership of land and other property
was enjoyed by the Frenchmen during the reign of Napoleon. The clergy and the
nobles started claiming for their land that was taken in the course of the
French revolution. Napoleon solved the problem and made the4 peasants to retain
the land and other property that they had acquired during the course of the French revolution. He
avoided reemergence of feudalism through which the nobles and the clergy would
have grabbed land from the peasants. It also increased the productivities of
peasants and reduced the4 problems of famine and starvation.
3.
Re organizing Administration:
Napoleon re organized the Administration structure
of France France
4. Reforms
in Education:
Before Napoleon , France University of France the first University with its 17 branches or
faculties distributed through out France
5.
Commerce and Industry.
Napoleon transformed and improved on the
industrial and commercial sectors of France France France
6.
Agricultural Development:
Napoleon’s regime greatly improved on
Agricultural sector in France France
7.
Financial Reforms:
Napoleon’s reforms improved on financial situation
in France France
8. Tax
Reforms:
Taxation that had been referred to as the
cancer of the ancient regime was reformed and made fair. People were fairly
assessed according to their ability and there was no tax exemption for the
noble and the clergy. In 1803, Napoleon enacted the tariff law to limit export
in order to safeguard the French infant industries from competition with British
goods. He reduced the burden of taxation of the French men by over taxing the
conquered states such as Italian states; German, Belgium
9.
The Code Napoleon:
The most memorable achievement of Napoleon
was making of legal laws popularly known as “The Code Napoleon.” Before
Napoleon came to power, France
a)
The criminal code.
b)
The civil code.
c)
The commercial code.
d)
The military code.
e)
The penal code.
The Codes made by Napoleon were very
popular and were adopted by many countries of Europe, America and Africa .
That marked France as a
modern state in Europe .
10. Modernizing
the Army:
Napoleon scored highest in the military
sector. He modernized and perfected the French army and France
11. The Legion of Honour:
This was a form of award given to men who
rendered distinguished services to the state such as in the civil service, commerce,
army etc.This was to recognize and encourage people to be more patriotic and
Nationalistic in serving their Nation. This created spirit of competition,
dedication and self sacrifice for their modern land. For the success of this
policy, Napoleon said “Men are led by Toys” The
legion of honour portrayed Napoleon as a true child of the French revolution.
12.
The new constitution:
Between 1800 -1810, Napoleon ruled in accordance
to the constitution. He issued anew constitution and created anew executives of
their consults (Napoleon, Abbey Sieyes and Ducas) and the Parliament of 300
legislatures. The constitution clearly separated the powers of the executive, legislature
and the judiciary. It was made public and people were made to vote for a
referendum in favour or against it. It was eventually endorsed by the people
and it became a working document for the republic of France France
13.
Career Open to Talents.
Career open to talents was a patriotic
policy that promoted the revolutionary principles of equality. Under this
policy, Napoleon abolished the social congregative class that existed in France