Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)(1769-1821)

•His rise to power•His domestic and foreign policies

Napoleon

• Born into a poor family of lesser nobles• Ajaccio, Corsica. This island had been

annexed by France in 1768.• Became a French artillery officer.• 1793 he saved Toulon from British take-

over• Lead French forces to victory and take-over

of most of Italy and Switzerland by 1797.

Political fear: Response of Directory

• 1797 elections give Royalists a majority• Fearing an end to the Republic anti-

royalists staged a coup.• They imposed censorship (so much for free

speech), installed their own people in the legislature (good-bye freedom of association), and exiled some of their political opponents.

Establishment of the Consulate (1799)

• Grossly misguided members of the Directory seeking a more powerful executive hope to control Napoleon while gaining his military support.

• He becomes First Consul and a new constitution gave him dictatorial powers.

What this all means:

1. Closed the revolution in France.

2. Effectively gave power to leading elements of the Third Estate (the bourgeoisie)

3. Ended hereditary privilege; one would succeed on merit.

4. Peasants saw an end to feudal privileges.

Napoleon as First Consul: Act I

• Eliminates any opposition…like a good dictator should. Joseph Fouche carries this out as Minister of Police.

• Censored newspapers and the theatre.

• Exiled Jacobins to Seychelles Islands.

• In 1802 he becomes “Consul for Life”

Napoleon’s Domestic Policies…your turn

• For each of the following Topics explain Napoleon’s Policy and What problem did it solve.• Bank of France

• Tax Reform

• The Concordat

• Napoleonic Code

• Education

• That’d be three columns and six rows.

Napoleon as Emperor: Act II

• In 1804 crowned himself Napoleon I Emperor of the French Empire.

• A conscripted army gave him a numerical advantage over any opponent.

• Could command up to 100,000 men in a single battle. Had 700,000 men in arms.

The Defeat of Napoleon

• Britain always an enemy…did have a truce, but…

• French troops in Haiti alarmed Britain of French ambitions in the Americas.

• And, his control of much of the continent meant a balance of power was upset, and so..

• An ultimatum sent 1803. War declared.

Haitian Rebellion

• François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture was one major leader.

• Defeated Napoleon’s army: many were Polish and they were incorporated into Haiti.

• 1803 Haiti declared a republic.• Second oldest in Western

Hemisphere.

Battles and Results

1. Trafalgar 1805

2. Ulm 1805 Austria

3. Austerlitz 1805 Alexander I of Russia & Francis II of Austria

4. Eylau 1807

5. Lisbon 1807

1. France loses; Britain controls seas.

2. France wins; takes over Vienna

3. France wins; takes northern Italy

4. …

5. …

6. Russia 1811-1812

7. Leipzig 1813

8. Waterloo 1815

6. ...

7. …

8. …

“This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”

How would thiscartoon promotenationalism?

War in the Early 19War in the Early 19thth Century Century

Napoleonic Wars

The Battle of Leipzig 1813

Some facts on the Battle of Nations…

• More than half a million men.• Five armies involved.• The commanding general for the Swedish army

was French, Jean Bernadotte.• Napoleon domineering leadership was part of his

failure; no one could competently assume leadership independent of Napoleon.

• Napoleon loses his best trained troops; hence forward they are mostly raw recruits.

Technology on the battlefield

• William Congreve – the rocket

• Lieutenant General Henry Shrapnel – improvement in artillery.

Waterloo 1815

The battle that ended an era…

• British led by Wellington for Britain• General Blucher for Prussia• In less than one day 115,000 men lay dead

on the field; 60,000 are French.• A battle of attrition: the expendability of

troops in the field for a political and military objective.

Key Terms for the Napoleonic Era

• Napoleonic Code• Continental System• Confederation of the Rhine• Coalitions• Conscripted armies

What caused the What caused the downfall of Napoleon?downfall of Napoleon?

Take a position on the following question:

• To what extent can an economic embargo be seen as an act of war?

Napoleon the Warrior

• 1800 victory over Austrians• 1806 Continental System

(hegemony over Europe, except Sweden, Ottoman Empire, & Britain)

• 1807 Treaty of Tilsit (w/ Alexander I of Russia): Napoleon master of Eur.

• 1808 Spanish resistance (guerrilla war).

• Nationalist movements against France.

• 1812 War w/ Russia …oops. Looser!• Scorched earth policy

• 1813 Battle of Nations at Leipzig.

• 1814 Abdication to Elba.• 1814 Congress of Vienna• 1815 Napoleon returns

• Defeated at Waterloo

• Exiled to Saint Helena

Elba & Saint Helena

The Spanish Inquisition 1478-1834

• Religious purity (Catholic) against non-Catholics and non-Christians.

• Censorship• Expulsion, torture, and

execution (relaxation).• Napoleon’s occupation

ended this (temporarily).

1. Napoleon was a military genius, fighting unpredictable battles.

2. He only had to defeat paid government armies.  His army initially was one of ideals.

3. The French army entered countries as liberators against autocracy and therefore were welcomed…at first.

The French were able to take-over European countries after defeating their armies because:

The reality of French liberation & Why the Napoleon’s Empire Ended

• Napoleon bled occupied territories by taxing them.

• Fraternity, equality, and egalitarianism were not experienced in the French occupied territories.

• Men in occupied territories were conscripted into the French army.

Cont’d

• The Continental system backfired:• The Spanish resisted, as did the Russians• Two front war: especially the invasion of

Russia.

A Historical Analysis A Historical Analysis of Napoleonof Napoleon

Study the two pictures. Determine the direction a historical interpretation would follow if it were based on A or B.

A.

B.

Evaluation cont’d

1. What aspects of Napoleon’s career would each of these four perspectives highlight?

• Political

• Military

• Social justice

• Economic

2. Develop your own ground rules for evaluating the success or failure of historical figures such as Napoleon.