After our lecture on Napoleon Bonaparte and having done some research, describe ways in which Napoleon fulfilled the ideas of the French Revolution. Also describe ways in Napoleon betrayed the ideals of the French Revolution.
Students may want to start by comparing the Declaration of the Rights of Man (1791)with the Code Napoléon or the Napoleonic Code. (1804)
Both portions of this assignment should be written in commplete, detailed sentences and will be a part of your essay grade for this trimester.
All work must be posted no later than 8:00am Friday October 30.
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http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/c_code.html
ReplyDeleteHaving been born a commoner and then risen to power, Napoleon Bonaparte upheld the basic revolutionary idea that the common people could in fact have a voice that overpowers the government. His Napoleonic Code echoed many of the ideals expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man. His code gave the French property rights, natural birth rights, equality in the workplace, the right to a trial, and equal taxation, the lack of this equality of course being a major grievance of the people of France during the French Revolution. Along with the Declaration of the Rights of Man, his Napoleonic Code also only applied to women.
ReplyDeleteWhen Napoleon established that all citizens had equal opportunities to education, he was helping spread the ideas generated by the Renaissance, but more importantly the Enlightenment, the movement that spurred along the French Revolution.
Napoleon was very wise in establishing the Bank of France, which helped the economic situation in France greatly. People’s lives improved and the populous felt that they had a king who cared about their welfare, nothing like King Louis XVI.
During and before the French Revolution, France’s army was spread thin. They were not conquering new lands and losing many of their battles. Napoleon was much smarter than Louis XVI when it came to mostly everything, but especially in military skills. He was able to pull together the French army and successfully fight some of the world’s greatest powers at the time. They defeated many countries who disliked them or were threatened by them after the Revolution, and they pushed the boundaries of France and took over many other countries. Most importantly, these military victories gave the people of France a sense of pride in their country and helped assure them that the Revolution really was a change for the good.
In my opinion, he biggest betrayal Napoleon committed against the French Revolution was declaring himself emperor. A goal of the French Revolution was to abolish the monarchy, but by declaring himself emperor, Napoleon completely dissolved this major ideal of the Revolution. However, since he used propaganda to convince the citizens of France to trust him, the French overlooked this betrayal of their ideals of the Revolution. This brings us to the next betrayal, Napoleon’s use of propaganda.
Although many politicians in history have used propaganda to gain the support of the people, it is my opinion that Napoleon’s use of propaganda was a direct betrayal of the Revolution. I think that the people of France wanted, and deserved, an honest leader after the long line of weak and dishonest kings who ruled them. I think Napoleon was power-seeking and however much he did to help the people of France, it is still my opinion that he was trying to gain fame and power.
It is true that Napoleon granted many rights to the people of France, a fulfillment of the ideals of the Revolution. However, he did not grant any rights to women, which was an ideal of the Revolution which should have been fulfilled. By completely ignoring the needs of women during this time, declaring himself emperor, and using false propaganda for his own gain, Napoleon Bonaparte betrayed the ideals of the French Revolution.
This was supposed to be in the last section about how Napoleon betrayed the ideals of the Revolution but for some reason it's not there:
ReplyDeleteThe Revolution got rid of the Catholic Church’s influence and affiliation with France, and when Napoleon declared himself emperor, he reacquainted with the Church, eradicating the progress made during the Revolution.
Napoleon Bonaparte dominated not only French, but European history for over 15 years. He held his own in a country that had just undergone a substantial transition due to the French Revolution. It was very important to Napoleon to be an affective leader, and it seems that he felt in order to do so, he needed to conform the current codes and regulations into what he felt was necessary to create a prosperous country. There was no doubt in any citizens mind that the French Revolution changed the way people lived, focusing especially on the rights of man. When controlling a nation, a strong code like this one is important. You can understand that Napoleoon believed this is well, because of the way he embraced certain rights stated in the Rights of Man. Napoleon agreed with the regulation that all citizens are equal before the law. In hearing this, I cannot help but wonder why he kept this one imparticular. I came to the conclusion that it was important to Napoleon to be well-liked and appreciated as a leader, and I understand the reasoning behind this. If he changed this, it may very well disrupt the calm of the citizens that feel equal in the eyes of Napoleon. A very sly move on Napoleon's behalf was keeping the concept of having copetent government officials. By keeping this, Napoleon was putting himself into the particular catagory, making himself look like a good leader. Although this was a bit cunning, I believe that that is a great aspect in a leader. The fact that Napoleon continued to enforce some of the rules developed by the French Revolution shows that he knows a good idea when he sees one, and he's not going to risk the respect of the citizens or the success of the country because of his ego.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting decision made by Napoleon was to stop the law that gave freedom to the press. You cannot help but wonder if this was due to the fact that Napoleon did not want anthing negative written about him in the press. I can't say that this was a poor move on Napoleon's part, but in a way it does raise subtle contraversy. Another aspect of the laws created during the Revolution was the, although few, rights of women. Napoleon demolished these, for a reason that is not very obvious. He also dismissed any rights given to children. I honestly doo not see why this was necessary, but I suppose it was his own opinion and there surely was some reason behind it.
Napoleon was seen in the eyes of many as a brave, honorable leader, but the truth is many probably overlooked the fact that he faced many difficult decisions regarding laws and rights already developed during and because of the Revolution. This gave Napoleon even more responsibility, and his decision on how to confront and change these established codes could ultimately make or break his role as a French legend.
Ideas of the French Revolution were later carried out and modified by Napoleon Bonaparte. He believed that he should replace a series of existing laws with a new and improved standard code for all French people. During the Revolution, the Declaration Rights of Man was created, declaring basic rights to man creating all men as equal. Napoleon kept this same concept in mind of the Declaration Rights of Man by declaring all men equal under the law as well. It wasn’t necessarily an improvement from before however this was practically the foundation for all the codes and it still guaranteed equality. Another huge factor he changed was the taxation system. Earlier, the old declaration said that all people must be equally taxed. However he had reformed the French taxation system bringing to his imperial officers almost 700 million francs annually. Also, the sources of the money came from taxes on income and a series of levies on goods such as wine, tobacco and salt instead of taxing large sums of money on the populous. One thing he was most applauded for was his creation of the Bank of France in 1800. He first created it for a financial institution to purchase government bonds. However, this bank was a whole new idea such as issuing banknotes. The major financial crisis before his ruling in France was slowly beginning to settle down for a while under this new system. Aside from that, Napoleon’s cunning military skills and charisma certainly won over the people, especially in the army. With a strong military system with loyal soldiers, France was in a much better condition and better equipped to protect its country than before. All these planted a stronger foundation in France instead of just ongoing chaos before hand.
ReplyDeleteEven though Napoleon had made some huge improvements he’d also made some people, especially women, extremely angry. During the French Revolution, Olympes de Gorges wrote the Declaration Rights of Women which gave women some rights such as, “Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights. Social distinctions can be based only on the common utility”. Napoleon gave very few rights to women under his codes that limited their rights on marriage issues and made it harder for them to divorce their husbands. “Married women were incapable of validly accepting a succession or donation without the authority of their husbands or an act of law if he refused.” He also deprived women from independent trade in ‘chattels’ or property, and instead they had to have their husbands consent before they could do so. Napoleon also declared himself Emperor, which put him in a higher power than every one else. After France’s corrupt leader Louis the 16th, this might not have been the smartest move, however he did win the people over with his ‘charm’ and he treated people like they were just as important by being sympathetic towards them and their families.
Also, the Declaration Rights of Man allowed for free press and speech, yet Napoleon denied liberty of the press and even shut down 60 out of the 73 newspapers in France since he feared that they would publicize and critique everything he said or did. Basically he didn’t want them to publish anything bad about him that would affect people’s view of him. But overall, the positive changes regarding the structure of major issues and complications made France stronger and put it back on track.
The Napoleonic Code VS The Declaration of the Rights of Man
ReplyDeleteThe Napoleonic Code was a more official, permanent code of law imposed by Napoleon. Because the code was written by one man without the people's input, there could easily have been a second Revolution, however Napoleon, being a smart man, incorporated many of the rights and ideas of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The people were therfore much less opposed to the code and to the rule of Napoleon himself. This tactic of winning the people over was used often by Napoleon, but because he had to, in a way, do what the people wanted, he became their voice. He wasn't a tyrant because he (for the most part) did not deviate from the basic points made in the Declaration of Man. Though he supported the rights of the common man so he could avoid another Revolution, he still ended up really bringing to light the rights and ideas stated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man for the rest of the world to see. This improved the lives of the common people everywhere, not just in France.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man talks alot about common rights that all people deserve (except women ofcourse). All people should have the right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. People may do or say anything as long as it is within the laws that the general people agreed upon and does not deprive any other person of his/her rights.People have the right to a fair trial and every is equal under the law. In the Napoleonic Code, these basic rights are woven into all parts of the text.
Because Napoleon spread the ideas the people of France fought so hard to put on paper and mix into the workings of society, he definitley fulfilled the ideas of the French Revolution. He spread the word of the Declaration of the Rights of Man even further than France. In this way Napoleon continued the spread of enlightenment ideas.
However, Napoleon himself was actually opposed to the spread of enlightenment ideas because he didn't want the people to revolt and overthrow him because of what they might realize when exposed to these enlightenment ideas. The spread of enlightenment ideas was very important to the people who fought in the Revolution. Napoleon went against their will in the squashing of enlightenment ideas.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon took away some rights in his code, but the rights were taken away from women and children, people who already didn't have much of a voice. This act went uncontested because of the already dominant role men played and their lack of concern over whether their wives and children had rights. The men of society were not opposed, as most people would not be opposed, to being given more power. This act however, did go against the ideas that came out of the Revolution. Women had gained very few rights, but rights all the same. This was a step backwards for society in France.
Napoleon cared more than anything else about first getting as much poweras he could and then maintaining that power. He was willing to do just about anything to get what he wanted. He even went as far as to crown himself emperor, which completley went against the ideas of the Revolution where the people had fought so hard to free France from the rule of one all powerful person. France was crying out for a government, a system of checks and balances. Napoleon, in this affair, completley ignored the needs of the people. He went against the people and against one of the big ideas that came out of the Revolution. The people however, did not recognize the extent of what was lost in Napoleon's takeover. This is how Napoleon avoided a second Revolution right after he took power.
In the end, Napoleon was very smooth and very good at appeasing all parties, but his takeover was both a step forward, because of the spreading of the word of The Declaration of the Rights of Man, and a step backwards, because of the rights taken from women and the missed opportunity of establishing a balanced government.
During Napoleons rule he modified many ideas from the French Revolution. Napoleon was born into the third estate, so as he grew up he withheld the general ideas made from the French revolution. Napoleon was put into power after having gained much respect from the French people, he was known as a hero and when the time was right he set the crown upon his head and declared himself emperor of France. This was a bold decision as the battle for democracy in France recently ended after King Louis was beheaded underneath the guillotine. This was one of the ways he betrayed the ideals of the French revolution. After coming to power he established the 7 Napoleonic Codes in order to stop the confusion generated by France’s 500 legal systems (one of the many examples of his arrogance was the fact that he put his own name into the codes). He was sure to carefully include the rights gained by the revolution in the codes; however the codes were a step back for both women and children. The code stopped freedom of speech and shutdown 60 of the 73 newspapers in France (most likely because they often spoke down on the authority). However his code did keep all citizens equal before the law. It also opened all careers to French people and competent government officials were elected to help keep the nation in ship shape.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon held the power in his country for about 15 years and during this time he was a respected and powerful leader. Although his laws did poorly affect the women and children he must have had his own reason for it. It is possible he did it because of the fear his wife may find a way to switch the balance of power. Napoleon probably changed the rights of people to give himself the power but he also carefully followed the French Revolutions new rights so that he could avoid causing another revolution among the 3rd estate.
Napoleon Bonaparte both upheld the ideals of the French Revolution and destroyed it at the same time. Napoleon was quick to claim that he preserved the ideals of the French Revolution. He established peace with the church that had been an enemy of the Revolution. Napoleon also made Catholicism the official religion of France but they could not gain the land back that they had lost during the French Revolution. Napoleon wanted to gain the support of both the church and the lower class and he accomplished that. One of the main ideas that came out of the French Revolution was equality for all and Napoleon quickly said that everyone was equal. This declaration that everyone is equal definitely upheld the ideals of the French Revolution.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon in some ways destroyed the ideals of the French Revolution in The Napoleonic Code. Even though he said there was equality for all, women and children were left out of this. His set of codes were a step backwards for women and children because women were treated like children and it was very difficult for them to inherit and divorce. Napoleon also destroyed the liberty of the press by shutting down 60 out of the 73 newspapers. He possibly could have done this to avoid having bad things said about him. Another major way in which Napoleon destroyed the ideas of the French Revolution was when he literally crowned himself as emperor. One of the major goals of the French Revolution was to abolish monarchy and by naming himself emperor, he did not help the French Revolution in that way. In some ways Napoleon fulfilled the ideals of the French Revolution but in some aspects he shut down the ideals that came out of the French Revolution.
Napoleon grew up during the time of the French Revolution in the 3rd estate, so the ideas of the Revolution appealed to him. Napoleon was a man who earned all of his respect from the French people. He was a brilliant general and tactician, no matter if he won or lost a battle, the citizens of France still respected him. Since Napoleon was so renowned, he made himself leader of France by overthrowing the previous government of France and replacing it with the Consulate.
ReplyDeleteOnce in power, Napoleon was eager to preserve the rights that were given to the citizens from the French Revolution. The citizens within the 3rd estate still did not pay money to the king directly, but to the government. Napoleon kept the equality to all right, created from the Revolution, and he also kept the right to a fair trial to all men. Napoleon kept the right to property, security, and resistance to oppression as well. He also allowed all careers open for anyone in any estate. Even people in the 3rd estate could get the job they wanted, no matter what their “rank” was. In addition, Napoleon created the first ever Bank of France in 1800, which helped France from going into debt again.
However, Napoleon also went against the ideas of the Revolution after he crowned himself leader. The first thing Napoleon did to betray the French Revolution was when he crowned himself leader. The Revolution called for the abolishing of monarchy, and yet Napoleon went on and declared himself ruler of France. Within his Napoleonic Code, the rights of man that were created during the Revolution stayed. However, the rights of women and children backtracked. The laws in the Napoleonic Code made it difficult for women to get a divorce and it gave them limited marriage laws. The Declaration of the Rights of Man also gave the right to freedom of speech and the press. Napoleon went against this rule and closed down 60 out of the 73 newspapers in France. Napoleon thought the newspapers would critique everything he did and possibly make him look bad. He shut the newspapers down so the people’s view of him stayed the same. Although Napoleon butchered some of the laws from the Declaration of the Rights of Man, his positive influences on France helped the country out of a near impossible situation.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen VS The Napoleonic Codes
ReplyDeleteOrigin of the code:
The Code was meant to consolidate French law into one set of laws or codes. Under the ancient regime or the monarchy France had over 400 codes that were in place in different areas around France. While the revolution got rid of many of these laws they added about 14,000 more. While there were many attempts by the National Convection and Directory to codify these laws no progress was made. Napoleon gathered expert commissioners to help create the first part of the Code, the Civil Code. It took 87 meetings to finish the draft. It was finished at the end of 1801 but wasn’t published until March 21, 1804. After the publication of the Civil Code many other codes came to affect including Civil Procedure and the Commercial Code. Now, the Civil Code has served as model for other Codes in as many as twenty other countries.
Similarities:
Both the Declaration and the Code contain the same basic principles that were fought for during the revolution. Napoleon knew that he would have a revolution on his hands if he was too blatant in changing the laws. So instead of totally changing them he kept the basic revolutionary ideas and wove them into what he wanted. Also, by growing up during the Revolution and being part of the 3rd estate he must have felt some connection to these rights because he fought for them. The most basic of these rights being the rights of man. In both Laws every man gets equal rights, even if the rights are a bit different for each draft of Law. All men have the right to be free and do what they please, as long as it’s within the law. The next similarity is that they both show that every man is equal when in front of the law. No one person can be given an advantage in the court and they are not guilty unless proven to be so. And last but not least is the fact that there is no social ladder. While there was an Emperor, no one could be born into a job like the nobility did during the old regime. People had the right to earn their way up the ladder and become who they wanted to be through hard work and dedication.
Differences:
While the Code contains the basic ideas of the Declaration, the biggest changes occur in new additions or small changes in rights. The most obvious change from the Declaration was the freedom of speech. In the Declaration it states, “Free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man.” But under the Napoleonic code newspapers were almost non-existent by 1804 when there were only four newspapers in all of France. Another large difference is that there were no rights for woman that didn’t include the husband in someway. While there were no laws about women’s rights in the Declaration there was no blatant disregard for them either. In the code woman are shown as second best compared to their husbands, as they need the consent of their husbands to do almost everything. Another important code idea that was not in the Declaration is the idea of property and business. The Declaration stated that property is part of the rights of man but they do not go in depth like the Code does. The code explains everything from rights of ownership and to how possessions can be acquired. Another section in the Code that wasn’t in the Declaration would be on marriage and family. This section explained the rights of married couples and the how children would need the consent of their parents to get married. That was the major difference between the Code and the Declaration. The Code was in depth and explained the smallest things in life allowing there to be no mistakes with the law, while the Declaration covered the basics, leaving possible loopholes available.
Declaration of the Rights of Man versus Napoleonic Codes
ReplyDeleteAfter Napoleon rose to power, he chose to maintain some of the rights and ideas that came into being because of the French Revolution and annul others according to its effect on his rule and the country of France.
Ways Napoleon Fulfilled the French Revolution Ideas:
Being of lower-class upbringing, Napoleon upheld the idea that all citizens were equal before the law. Part of this was the fact that and Frenchman can enter into any occupation rather than appointing officials to positions based on money, class, or lineage. This resulted in more competent government officials and an overall better-run country.
Ways Napoleon Destroyed Revolutionary Ideas:
Napoleon, being a shrewd and power-hungry politician, annihilated freedom of the press. (shutting down sixty of France’s seventy-three newspapers) This was a right given in the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Napoleon also eliminated the few right women and children gained from the Revolution. The final and foremost way the Napoleon disregarded the Declaration of the Right of Man was in appointing himself emperor. This was directly contrasting with article three of the Declaration which stated that “no body or individual may rule the nation”.
Being a teen during the revolution Napoleon Bonaparte knew what Robespierre and the other revolutionaries had fought for. When he overthrew the directory, he created “The Napoleonic Code” a set of laws that saved the ideas created by Robespierre. “The Napoleonic code” was a long and more detailed version of the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”. In both documents they state all men have the right of liberty, property and security. Napoleon knew in order to stop another revolution from happening; he had to allow the peasants from The Great Fear to keep their land. Also instead of having men guard their land he created a deed for every property. Napoleon learning from Louis XVI mistakes allowed any man to become a government official, the selection was not based on wealth but competence.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Napoleon was opposed to new ideas that would destroy his leadership position. When writing the codes he got rid of freedom of speech. Napoleon shut down 60 newspapers in France to stop the spread of “dangerous” ideas. He also limited women’s rights even more; an example is the right to divorce. In chapter 1, book 1 of the code it states “The husband may demand a divorce on the ground of his wife's adultery.” However if the wife wants a divorce on the grounds of adultery the husband must bring his mistress in to their house. The rest of the code goes into detail about children, loans, and hiring.
When Napoleon created these codes he wanted everyone to be satisfied. He only made sure enough of the population was pleased so another revolution would not break out.
Napoleon Bonaparte was an intelligent and powerful military leader. His charisma and devotion to France led to his success. Under Napoleon, the French became one of the strongest military forces in the world and their economy and welfare improved greatly. He was very careful, as he instigated himself as leader, to include many rights that the peasants gained during the Revolution. He knew that by crowning himself emperor, after the citizens had worked hard to to abolish the monarchy, he had to uphold their rights.
ReplyDeleteOne of the greatest things he did to fulfill the rights of the revolution was to promote equality in his codes. His famous Napoleonic Code gave citizens rights to property, natural birth, the right to a trial, fair taxation and equality in the workplace. This was similar to the American Revolution themes, which inspired the French. By declaring the equalities, Napoleon echoed the theme of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which states the the purpose of a government is to protect the equality for man. In addition, Napoleon also encourage the spread of the Enlightenment, which was a major motivating factor in the Revolution. Also, it was important that Napoleon put government officials in charge who were completely competent.
Another way Napolean helped France the the revolution was helping it back on its feet economically. He created the Banque de France in January 1800 and he was then the First Consul. The new Bank's task was to issue bank notes payable to the bearer on sight in exchange for discounted commercial bills. His bank pulled France out of its debt and recession.
Appeasing the Church had both its positives and negatives. The church was very powerful at the time and having the support of the Church would make Napoleon very strong. He made the Church the official religion but told the Church, they could not ask for their land back. This was a selfish move for Napoleon because it gave him power, but took away a lot of progress made my the Revolution. But because Napoleon didn’t make the peasants give the Church their land back, he was seen as a hero in their eyes.
This brings me the negatives that Napoleon has down, which hindered the Revolution ideals. He used a lot of propaganda to make himself look better. He shut down 60 out of 73 newspapers to ensure that he would maintain his hero-like status among the people. Even after all the work citizens had done to overthrow King Louis XVI, they got another king immediately and were not upset in the slightest because of Napoleons cleverness and advertising.
An extremely bad thing Napoleon did was to grant very few rights to women adn children. Women were very important to the revolution. They succeeded in running Louis XVI out of Paris. Olympe de Gourge wrote an entire declaration for women. But, under Napoleon, he diminished their rights to the point where they were almost nonexistent, like the ability to divorce. Also, he limited rights on children, to things such as education. Children are the rulers of the future and if they are not properly educated, then another King Louis would soon rule France.
Overall I believe Napoleon furthered the Revolution and France in general. Although he named himself emperor and reconnected with the Church, France needed an absolute ruler at the time. Most of their country was starving and poor and they were unfit economically. People might argue and say that the US was able to successfully overthrow their government. But, the United States was able to form a government and set up a new system because they weren’t in any immediate threat from countries. The US was isolated and were not going to have to face another war. Their people were also not starving and they were in better shape with money. The French were in horrible condition and were not ready to re form their government. Napoleon was a great thing to happen to France.
Napoleonic Codes vs. The Declaration of the Rights of Man
ReplyDeleteThe Napoleonic code is the French civil code and was established under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. It was based on earlier French and Roman laws in dividing civil law into: personal status, property, and acquisition of property. By making this code Napoleon ended the confusion by creating seven codes. The right gained by the Revolution was equality for all under the law, but the codes were a step backwards for women and children. The code was clearly written and intelligible law was a prime step in establishing the rule of law. It is one of the few documents, which has influenced the whole world.
In the Declaration of the Rights of Man and in the Napoleonic code it kept that all citizens are equal. This wasn’t an improvement because women still did not have enough rights as men; they were looked down to as children. The code also kept careers opened for French people. This means that the there was no job you born into like the nobility did during the revolution. The people had their own right to earn their place on the social chain. A helpful thing Napoleon gave France of the Bank of France established in February 1800; stability was restored to the country by giving a monopoly of note issue to the new main bank and also backing it up with gold and silver. Napoleon was aware that hunger was a much greater issue than liberty, and so the control of prices and the supply of food were introduced.
The Napoleonic codes restricted basic rights that the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Freedom of speech was severely reduced, directly going against the Declaration of the Rights of Man. By 1811 there were only four papers out of the seventy-three newspapers in France, all of the state run propaganda. Women barely received any rights; they could not do anything without asking for permission from their husbands. But one idea Napoleon went against was having an empire again. The point of the revolution was to get rid of the monarchy. Napoleon put the crown on his head and declared himself emperor for life.
Rights kept/given:
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the third estate during the French Revolution, Napoleon understood the rights that the lower classes were entitled to. He also understood what the people’s reaction would be if these rights were taken away. With the use of his own experience combined with his knowledge of world history, Napoleon decided that ruling with a full iron fist wasn’t the best of tactics. Furthermore, in his seven Napoleonic Codes, he continued to allow all citizens to be equal. Napoleon didn’t feel threatened by this because he knew that equal rights would keep the people happy. He was in such a high position of power and had won the hearts of the people so much already to the point where he didn’t believe that his position could be threatened. The code also made it so that any person could have any non-governmental job. This furthered with the concept of equality in that it built up a working middle class. He also improved many public programs including education and public works (canals, harbors, and roads). Napoleon also kept the concept of only allowing competent persons to hold government positions. This came directly out of The Declaration of the Rights of Man. All in all, these ideas provided a good outline for France because they included both social and governmental aspects.
Rights taken away:
Napoleon shut down 60 of the 73 French newspapers that existed. He greatly limited freedom of the press because he believed that having one nationalist (government supported) view of the world would be the best for France. In fact, of the 13 papers that remained, he made sure that all of them were censored before they were published. Napoleon also set up strict family codes, which immensely limited the rights of the child and wife. Women were no longer allowed to trade without the permission of their husbands; they were essentially treated like kids. Under Napoleon’s new code, fathers could also ban children from their inheritance and even imprison them for a month if they were behaving badly. While many of these concepts seem outlandish in today’s society, they were acceptable (barely) in France and were believed, by Napoleon, to strengthen the nation. A strong family unit, he believed, would be productive and support France’s new economic values.
Conclusion:
Napoleon created his code in order to strengthen France’s economy, unity, and government. Napoleon built up a middle class by allowing jobs to all citizens and setting up a national bank. He attempted to further unify the nation by supporting nationalism through the censorship of newspapers. Finally, he enlarged the government, which was now able to intervene with family issues. This code was passed on March 21, 1804.
Being part of the third estate and one who had felt the oppression of the Old Regime, Napoleon was naturally intrigued by the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. When Napoleon rose to power he put in place the Napoleonic Code, which kept in place the the basic ideas of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, but also took away some of the rights won. Knowing how the people would feel about a ruthless dictator who only cared about himself, Napoleon made a smart decision in keeping most of the liberty aspect alive in his new code.
ReplyDeleteAn important element of both the Napoleonic Code and Declaration of the Rights of Man was equality. Each one stated that every Frenchman will enjoy civil rights. Careers were also open to all Frenchmen, and the occupation of a person was based on the individual’s natural ability. Other rights included natural birth rights, equal taxation, and right to a free trial. Also, probably afraid that someone like Louis XVI would rise to power, Napoleon made sure that all his government officials were competent. Napoleon’s fairness also applied to daily conflicts. In order to keep both the Church and people happy, he made Catholicism the official religion of France, and allowed the people of the third estate to keep land taken from the Church during the revolution. However, this complete equality only truly applied to the men, in my opinion. A huge part of the revolution that both the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Napoleonic Code ignored was the rights of women.
Napoleon’s law greatly reinforced the idea of of household in which the patriarch had all the power. Men were also granted more benefits than women. For example, the husband can divorce the wife for adultery, but the woman is not allowed to unless the man brings the other woman into their common residence. The woman is also not allowed to re-marry for ten months, whereas the man can re-marry at any time he chooses. Children also remain subject to their parents’ control on they reach a certain age. However, only the father of the child is allowed to exercise this right. I find Napoleon’s treatment of women quite surprising, considering the Parisian women were the ones to really kick off the revolution by storming Versailles. Napoleon’s code also greatly changed freedom of press. Of the seventy-three newspapers, Napoleon shut down sixty of them, and he greatly censored the thirteen that he allowed. Napoleon did make some changes that would be vigorously challenged in modern society, but he also kept quite a few basic rights that would lay the foundation for the future legal system of France.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born into the third estate, born into poverty, born into a revolution. The man crippled by his lack of wealth and height went on to become the most powerful man in the world. From the beginning he has been a revolutionary but when given the opportunity he crowned himself emperor. This action shows his is not as committed to the people as the fathers of the revolution like Robespierre.
ReplyDeleteThe Napoleonic Code varied from the Declaration of the Rights of Man in that it set up a uniform legal system that replaced the 300+ legal systems prior to the code. The code gave fewer rights to women than the already limited Declaration of the Righdts of Man. The women could not inherit land from their parents or husbands and were provided little, if any education. Women were treated with the same respect the children they gave birth to were given. The Code took away rights outlined in the Declaration such as freedom of press. Napoleon shut down 60 of the 73 parisian newspapers.
The Napoleonic code was created in part to preserve the rights the peasants of France gave their lives for. Right to property was one right the code preserved. The code also ensure competence in government officials. Much like the Civil Service Exams of Dynastic China the French system made sure the officials did not buy their positions. The code opened up careers for the lowest class and made everyone equal before the law, everyone but women.
After the French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte made a whole new legal system called the Napoleonic Code. Napoleon did uphold some of the ideologies of the French revolution however he betrayed them as well. Some ways he did improve France were preserving the rights of equality to all men. He allowed the people to keep the land they took from the church during the revolution and abolished feudalism. The Napoleonic code guaranteed the rights and liberties won in the revolution, including equality before the law and religious freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe Revolution was to give people liberty, equality and fraternity and that Napoleon betrayed all of that. With liberty he appointed himself Emperor of France, had no democracy, and enforced censorship with those who did not agree with him. Women and children were given practically no rights, which demolished the idea of equality all together. He may have given them in the brotherhood between his troops, but he took them from their homes, gave them a life full of war, and took the many lives of men in Europe.
In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte wrote the Napoleonic Code which simplified France’s 300 different legal systems into just 7. Napoleon’s goal was to preserve the revolutionary ideas, for he was an avid supporter of the French Revolution. The Napoleonic Code was based on The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, a document that clearly listed all the rights Frenchmen deserved. The way he fulfilled the ideals of the revolution was through including the civil rights of men in his Napoleonic Code. Very similarly to The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, his code gave all French citizens freedom and equality and rights of liberty, property, security, and religion. He made sure that the common person had fewer rights than people in government positions. The code states that all careers are open to all and any French citizens. The French citizens were very pleased with the fact that their ideas of enlightenment were put into action by Napoleon, which is maybe one of the reasons why they didn’t realize that Napoleon didn’t follow-through with other revolutionary movements.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Napoleon’s purpose for the Napoleonic Code was to keep the enlightenment ideals written in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, he contradicted and betrayed those ideals in many ways. First, the fundamental objective of the revolution was to abolish an overpowering monarchy. Napoleon must have completely overlooked that important aspect of the revolution when he crowned himself as the emperor of France. He was never elected or nominated by the people of France to become the emperor. The supporters of the French Revolution believed that all sources of authority needed to come from the decision of the whole country, that no group or individual could choose who was in control of the nation. Bonaparte was aware of this idea, yet he very slyly snuck past it in order to satisfy his craving for power and leadership. He made himself popular and favored by the Frenchman, so when he crowned himself emperor after he won the people’s affection, the people didn’t even notice that Napoleon was violating one of the key ideals of the revolution. In addition, during his rule, Napoleon minimized the liberties of press and speech. He shut down 60 of the 73 newspapers printed throughout France in order to prevent people from publishing negative comments about him. The Napoleonic Code also eliminated the very few rights women had before in such a way that now inheritance and divorce were made even more difficult for women. Napoleon insured that men were the set rulers in every household.
In conclusion, Napoleon’s Napoleonic Code fulfills the French Revolution idea of equality for every man, yet in other ways it contradicts the goals meant for the revolution.
The French Revolution undoubtedly changed France, but change even radical change can be unimportant if the new ways of doing and thinking are not continued and sustained. Napoleon directly affected the importance of the French Revolution and its ideas with his Napoleonic Code, where he picked and chose ideals of the Revolution to uphold, and ideals to destroy. The Napoleonic Code was a vast and largely complete collection of laws compiled by Napoleon. These laws ruled over most aspects of French life, from birth to death and everything in between. The Napoleonic Code was the first major law code written in France after the advent of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, a declaration of rights fought for and gained during the French Revolution. The Code preserved some of the rights and ideas gained by Frenchmen during the French Revolution and enumerated in the Declaration; however, some rights and ideas were lost in the transition to Napoleon’s rule and new laws.
ReplyDeleteAmong the most notable rights of the Declaration of the Rights of Man that Napoleon chose to uphold in his new Code was the right to equality. Both documents state that each and every Frenchman is equal to each and every other. This idea was revolutionary in both its nature and in its time. So buoyed by this newfound equality were the French that indeed it would have been a difficult right to repeal. Such a revocation might have lead to revolution anew, so it was a smart move by Napoleon to include that particular right. Another right, or set of rights, kept constant by the Napoleonic Code was the right to a fair trial. The Code goes into much greater detail on this subject than the Declaration does; not only is the right retained, but it is elaborated upon to great length. Along with social and judicial rights, the Declaration gives people the right to property. Napoleon takes this right to heart, standardizing and legalizing almost every sort of transaction of property possible. Two of the three books of the Code are devoted entirely to property rights.
As far as major differences in the documents and doctrines go, the burdensome chains placed on women in the Napoleonic Code stand out most glaringly. Although the Declaration avoids granting most any right to women, it does not limit women with over-complex and vexatious laws as does the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code makes it difficult for women to divorce, to give property, to receive property, to do most any and everything. Another huge step backward for the French was the of exclusion of the right to freedom of press. This was probably a wise move on Napoleon’s part. Having lived through the French Revolution, Napoleon was aware of the monstrous power of propaganda and the way revolutionary ideas could move like wildfire with the help of the media. However, smart as this omission may have been, it still went against the spirit of the Revolution. Nonetheless, the most conclusively wrong of Napoleon’s actions as according to the doctrine of the Revolution was Napoleon’s crowning of (guess who) Napoleon as emperor of France. The point of the French Revolution, should you the reader need reminding, was to get rid of the monarchy. It is near impossible to imagine a worse offense against the French Revolution and al that it stood for.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon upheld enough of the rights of the Revolution as to appease the mass of the French people, but a man who proclaims himself emperor, no matter how true to the established revolutionary doctrine he may be, cannot be said to be fulfilling the ideas of said revolution. Napoleon betrayed the heart of the French Revolution, even if he held on to some choice snippets of laws and rights.
Napoleon Bonaparte was an intelligent and charismatic leader. He managed to take hold of a country which had just overthrown their ruler, and take over as a dictator without upsetting the wild people of France. The only way he could have accomplished this was by being a great leader and making sure the people got what they wanted, or at least thought they got what they wanted. He was careful not to trod on too many toes in exchange for the love of France. He accomplished this through a document he named after himself and called one of his most fine achievements, The Napoleonic Code. In this he used what the people had written in the document, The Declaration of the Rights of Man.
ReplyDeleteThe rights that Napoleon granted the people in his code were: rights to property, rights to education, birthrights, equal taxation, and rights to trial. This made most of the men happy in the third estate. They no longer had to pay all of the taxes of the country, meaning that they were not constantly starving for food. As a member of the third estate napoleon probably felt what it was like and felt the need to change the lives of those he ruled over. Some of these were also what was requested in the Declaration of the Rights of Man. For instance, the Declaration states that, “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” It also states that “The aim of every political association is the preservation of the natural and inalienable rights of man; these rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. “ For the most part these rights were maintained, to the happiness of the people of France. Religion was also liberated. Napoleon arranged for the Catholic Church to be apart of France again yet the people did not have to pay taxes to the church easing the burden on the French lifestyle.
This Napoleonic code was not perfect, however. It completely disregarded all the rights of women. In the code it simply stated that women must tend to what their husbands do or tell them to do. Husbands had complete control over their wives and children, which did not make the women happy especially after Olympe d’Gourges had written an entire document for the rights of women, which was completely ignored. Children could be disowned from inheritance and placed in jail for up to a month if their father so requested. Although education was supported many children did not benefit in the private high schools. Napoleon also created many prohibitions on the press, only wanting good ideas of himself to be seen by French society. Most newspapers were banned from being published. So although many freedoms were given, freedom of speech was not included in these.
The Napoleonic code has had a huge effect on the rest of the world. It is the base of most governments in Europe and also in Latin America. The code was not perfect but it definitely organized France and created a more fair place to live for most of the people of France.
Sources
1. Declaration of the rights of man.
2. http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/c_code.html
Napoleon maintained the goals of the revolution to a certain extent, however he changed many of the core revolutionary values. He kept the basic principal of the revolution, which was to establish a constitution that provided France with a law system that treated the population with equality. Many people consider Napoleon to be the son of the revolution, believing that he embodied all the valuable aspects of the French Revolution. This idea is somewhat illegitimate because Napoleon declared himself emperor, which goes against the idea of equality and equal say in government. As a result many view him as another tyrant who ignored the ideals of the revolution, by bringing back the monarchy and aristocracy.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon established the Constitution of Year VII and set up a representative system of government. The document essentially allowed for political equality; but this was a false promise, the document being drafted by Napoleon and his allies gave Napoleon all the major powers of a dictator. Napoleon was able to ensure that all his council members were loyal to him. This was the first constitution since the Revolution that did not include a Declaration of Rights. As a result it essentially stripped women of their rights treating them as if they were children. Women were forced to wait at least ten months after the ending of a marriage before they could remarry. However, the code had a relatively liberal stance on divorce in comparison to the rest of Europe, allowing it under mutual consent giving women minimal say in their lives.
In another attempt to falsely portray himself in a positive light, Napoleon took away yet another right that was gained during the revolution. This right was the liberty of press; he shut down sixty out of the seventy-three existing newspapers in France. Without the ability to efficiently distribute information it would be extremely difficult to portray Napoleon in a negative light. Napoleon limited the possibility of propaganda that would tarnish his reputation among the populace. This may have been a smart decision from the standpoint of napoleon protecting his power; but it was yet another step back from achieving equality in political voice.
On the other hand Napoleon brought a lot of great political reform to France. Before the Napoleonic code, France was lacking a single set of laws; laws varied depending on local customs, and the king or other members of the first estate often granted special privileges or exemptions of a law. Almost all of the 300 varying legal codes within France were replaced by one single code that viewed all men as equal, limiting the exemptions that only applied to a minority of the population. This huge step to equality would come with freedom of religion and specified that governmental jobs should go to those who are most qualified. Napoleons decision to allow people to keep possession of any land they gained during the revolution, and prohibiting the church from asking for it back; was a symbol of Napoleons view that everyone had the right to own property, and it could not be taken away unless it was for the good of the public. In order to keep the church happy Napoleon declared that Catholicism is the national religion of France. This was not an attempt to take away freedom of religion but it showed favor of one religion over another.
Napoleon pursued a position in France that had been just recently torn down and had developed passionate enemies during its Revolution. The French Revolution was an uprising against the French Monarchy; in particular King Louis XVI and his Austrian wife, Marie Antoinette. Young and inexperienced rulers, Napoleon was everything to the French people that their monarchs were not. It was a dangerous move in a dangerous time but Napoleon was a careful and driven man who used numerous methods to establish himself as a favored French Emperor.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon created a French empire by uniting people and an army, engaging in territory building endeavors, and reestablishing peace with the church. He developed a Code of Law to organize the people and acknowledge their Revolutionary/Enlightenment ideas. He also was a confident, smart and self-developed commoner who was easily able to connect to the French citizens.
Napoleon’s achievements with the French army were a major confidence builder for the French. This helped unify the people and gave them a stronger sense of nationality than under Louis XVI. Napoleon showed the French people his dedication to them and France by expanding their territory and fighting for them. Not only did he bring the people on these territory building endeavors but fought with them at the head of his forces. Napoleon became a godlike figure as he led his troops in conquest. He also touched base with his soldiers on a personal level. Bonaparte spent time with them and was flexible towards giving them time off if they were feeling unwell or had family matters to tend to for a period of time. He formed a strong bond with his military building a force that would die out of loyalty for him.
The Catholic Church was another group affected by the French Revolution. Enlightenment followers did not favor the church and its 1st Estate, the clergy, for some of the same reasons they disliked the monarchy. The church had much more power and power over the French people. Napoleon recognized this conflict and was quick to act upon it. After declaring himself Emperor, Napoleon made a deal with the church. The new ruler dubbed Catholicism the official religion of France under the condition that they give up permanently their land that had been taken over by revolutionaries. This move pleased the church and the common people, further developing the French appreciation for and loyalty to their Emperor.
The Napoleonic Code kept various ideas born during the French Revolution. Napoleon’s Code supported equality for all male citizens before law. This was a particularly significant idea that helped define the Revolution. The code also helped ensure career options were open to all French people as well as had incompetent government officials suspended and replaced with knowledgeable and capable figures.
Napoleon’s code was beneficial to many French people, however it had the opposite affect on women and children. The code stripped women of almost all rights. It destroyed the few they had obtained through the Revolution and set up more barriers. Divorce and inheritance as well as keeping power over children was made significantly harder for French women.
ReplyDeleteThe French Revolution gained a lot of momentum through public papers. Freedom of speech was a very important addition included in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and it included the writing and keeping of newspapers. Under the code, Napoleon shut down 60 of the 73 newspapers that flourished during the Revolution and diminished the people’s freedom of speech. Napoleon found it necessary to limit the people’s communication and rallying devices in order to protect himself and his government from uprising and rebellion.
Overall, Napoleon made many smart and successful moves to establish himself as the Emperor of France. He gathered loyal supporters through his military rallies and quests, peace making with the church, and his new organizational and government laws, the Napoleonic Codes. He was loved enough to be welcomed to the throne as French emperor after many violent years of objection to tyranny. However he did fail to acknowledge important revolutionary ideas in his codes including the rights of women and children and the freedom of speech through the press.
I'm sorry if it doesn't immediately answer the prompt but it looked like what everyone else was doing...
ReplyDeleteNapoleon Bonaparte,the second son of Casa Bonaparte,was a great tactician and commander. He was born in the third estates and not being wealthy was one of his biggest issues in his early life. Napoleon became the brigadier general after years of hard-working in mainland France. After the Coup d’état, he became the emperor of France in 1802.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon was born in the Revolution and was influenced by the idea of a Revolution. After he crowned himself as emperor, he made The Napoleonic Code based on the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The Napoleonic Code shortened and replaced the Declaration of the Rights of Man. One of the big difference between the two was Napoleon gave even less rights to woman than before.
Differences:
Napoleon destroyed the liberty of press; he shut down 60 of the 73 newspapers in France. He shut those presses down because he wanted to avoid rumors about him. Although there were still 13 newspapers presses existed, Napoleon always made sure those were not harmful to his power. Woman had almost no rights after Napoleon rose to power. Napoleon's Code made women basically had the same rights as children.
One of the notable differences was that Napoleon announced peasants could keep the lands taken from the Church during the Revolution and the Church could not ask to take the land back.
Similarities:
Napoleon kept the basic rights: such as all men were equal and free. Everyone was equal before the law and people can do everything as long as they were not above the law. The most important code was all careers were opened to all French people.
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ReplyDeleteAfter the French Revolution, military expert Napoleon Bonaparte aspired to create a simpler code of laws that would embody most concepts generated by the Revolution, in addition to some modifications of his own. After the Declaration of Rights of Man was written, the third estate, which essentially made up 98% of France’s population, was happy by the “all men free and equal (except women)” aspect. This document especially serviced the peasants, as their rights to land that were originally taken away by the Catholic Church came back, ergo transforming France into a small farmer’s country, rather than a large landowner plantation.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon attempted to preserve most of these rights, as he kept the popular equal rights law. However, his code did outlaw some previously earned rights of the citizens. In general, freedom of speech was highly restricted. Napoleon was so strict about this; he even shut down 60 of the 73 newspapers regularly distributed in France, to assure his voice was the only voice being heard. Additionally, even though women were ignored in the Declaration of Rights of Man, Napoleon completely stripped them of their rights, as they could no longer testify in a courtroom or sell property without a man’s approval. In general, the husband had dominance in any marital situation, except for a divorce, in which both genders shared mutual power.
Despite Napoleon’s lack of inclusive aspects, he did embrace the idea of power based on worthiness. His vision was to have social classes based purely on merit. He also wanted to ensure justice even on insufficient grounds, making sure all judges practiced under fair law. By enforcing this, he hoped to encourage the men of power to interpret the law correctly. Perhaps the most important feature Napoleon strived to keep was ensuring everyone was innocent until proven guilty. This trust allowed people to live without fear of violation, which in turn gave them insentive to devote more to their country. The citizens were truly impacted by Napoleon’s faith in them, which is frankly what made Napoleon a much better leader than Louis XVI
Napoleon’s code was written in 1804 to replace the some 300 other legal systems throughout France. Because of his beginnings in the third estate, Napoleon understood why the people of France originally rebelled. As a result, his code reflected many major ideas listed in The Declaration of the Rights of Man, written in 1791.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of the Rights of Man states that all men are equal under the law. Napoleon kept this piece of the declaration. Equality was a vital right earned in the revolution. If this birthright was taken from the French people, they would be more likely to rebel. People were also entitled to a trial before incarceration. Another part of the declaration that remained was the fact that in order to hold a position in government, one had to qualify for it. This improved the government immensely. Because the government officials understood and performed their duties, the country improved. Napoleon also established the first National Bank of France in 1800. This greater improved the economy, earlier lowered because of Louis IVI’s habit of spending the country’s taxes. Careers were also not restricted to a specific class, much like the Declaration of the rights of man. This lessened the severity of the distinction between classes, allowing the middle class to gain wealth and status.
While Napoleon preserved some rights recorded in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, he also changed many of the laws. One key difference between Napoleon’s code and the Declaration of the Rights of Man is the subject of freedom of speech. During his reign, Napoleon shut down 60 of the 76 newspapers in France in order to control the spread of knowledge. He feared that the press could distribute critic and new ideas throughout France, defiling his reputation and status. This is similar to the spread of enlightenment ideas in the French Revolution. Napoleon also restricted the rights given to women and subordinated them under men. In his code, it was more difficult for women to divorce their husbands and they were treated like lesser beings. Women were also not aloud to trade without their husband’s permission. This greater diminished their positions in society because they were unable to make their own business without their spouses. Women also were not able to control the lives of their children.
To sum up, Napoleon kept the essential portions of the Declaration of the Rights of Man in order to impede rebellion. However, he also modified several things to make things easier for himself.
The primary similarities between the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the Napoleonic Codes are that the Napoleonic Codes are very keen to maintain the rights which were gained in the revolution. Napoleon himself was a great admirer of the revolution and the Jacobin Party, and the fact that the Code does not obliterate all of the rights is not pure political maneuvering. That being said, political maneuvering has a significant place in the Codes. Napoleon definitely wanted to keep the former Third Estate happy with him. “We are the fish and the people are the sea”, said Mao Zedong, many years later. Napoleon, like any good leader, recognized this. Napoleon preserved the equality of all men, an important right for the former Third Estate who had just escaped from being of lesser value.
ReplyDeleteHe was also to preserve the right of citizens to get jobs based on merit. This was important because it ensures that you will get competent officials instead of incompetent officials who are only there because of family connection. Also, Napoleon must have remembered that he advanced as far as he did based on merit. He was from a regular family and not a rich one.
Napoleon abolished several rights on the other hand, so that he could maintain control of his new empire. Remembering the fiery newspapers which fanned the revolutionary spark into an inferno, he abolished freedom of the press. This right usually leads to a spread of information, higher government accountability and can lead to revolution if the government is not capable. 60 out of 73 newspapers were shut under Napoleon.
Napoleon also took away the few rights that women had. He felt that women were weak and created a patronizing and sexist approach where women were the extension of their husband who had to follow their husband’s lot in life. It made it nearly impossible to get a divorce which was a fundamental right for women. Napoleon also tightened rules on inheritance so that there were taxes on an inheritance. This system created a strongly paternal world which was hostile to women’s rights but a brilliant political move.
Obviously, the greatest break with the revolution was to declare himself the supreme leader of a country who had chosen to be democratic but his might militarily allowed him to get away with it.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s infamous rise to power, military conquest, fame, and tragic end dominated French and European history from 1799 to 1815 making him the renown legend he is remembered as today. Napoleon was a knowledgeable man realizing that people do not adapt to rapid change well. And it was with this knowledge that he learned to preserve the rights of the revolution keeping the third estate happy thus reducing the chances of having a revolution on his hands.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon Bonaparte learned that enlightenment spread through the printing press. It also taught the third estate to think for them selves, thus realizing that they were being treated unfairly by the first and second estates. Napoleon was smart enough to use the examples of past leaders to better himself as a king. Napoleon first realized that the previous king lost his seat on the thrown as a ramification of the enlightenment. As a result of the former kings mistakes, Napoleon slowed the spread of enlightenment ideas. He did this by shutting down 60 out of 73 newspapers consequently preventing people from spreading their thoughts of enlightenment to other citizens thus emphasizing his own opinion.
Although Napoleon wanted all enlightenment ideas to come to come to a halt he realized that ruling with an iron fist would only get him into trouble. So he kept the “all men are equal” law resulting in happy men. However, this law only affected citizens. To be a citizen you must be a man consequently, Napoleon stripped women of all their rights. Even though they didn’t have very many rights to begin with. In fact, women were treated like children.
As a child in poverty, Napoleon strived for a better lifestyle. He did this though educating himself and graduating in the top of his class, and earning a scholarship to a renown military university in Paris. Afterwards, Napoleon was exalted many times over a coarse of many years until he was eventually the emperor of France. Many people believe it was his willingness to put in the effort and succeed that made him the powerful leader he once was.
Napoleon Bonaparte, was a military and political leader of France, whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century. The Napoleonic Code clarified the law, made it uniform, and put it into writing. The Napoleonic Codes brought needed stability to the people of France, who had been suffering for almost two decades. The Napoleonic Codes upheld the basic beliefs of the French Revolution in terms of all citizens were equal in the eyes of the law, except women.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon was strong on French people as well as a the broaden ideals of liberty, equality and nationalism of the French Revolution.
Ways Napoleon fulfilled the French Revolution ideas:
Since Napoleon was from a lower-class, be upheld the idea that all citizens were equal before the law, no matter what class they were from. This formed into a more adapted government officials which lead to a better ran country.
Ways Napoleon destroyed revolutionary ideas:
With his military power also known as “coup d’etat”, Napoleon was a man with ambition, self-control, a great strategist, and genius. Somehow, the way he governed France roams among people’s minds as if he abused his power.
The Napoleonic Code was written in 1804 by the renowned emperor of France, Napoleon Bonapart. Having grown up during the French Revolution in a middle class home, Napoleon understood how to properly regulate the laws of his people without causing violent civil unrest. This was crucial in order to keep the peace while going harshly against the previously instituted system from the French Revolution by crowning himself emperor. To help settle another possible revolution he based his code of law after that of the Declaration of the Rights of Man keeping many of the same rights and principles and shortening it from 300 to 7 .
ReplyDeleteNapoleon choose to keep much of the ideas of the Declaration of Rights of Man intact when he wrote his own code. The main cornerstone being that all men and equal and entitled to life, liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression. Also he kept that all men have the right to a fair trial in a court of law and that any man with enough skill can do any job regardless of social status. These main points helped demonstrate to the French people how, even though he took the crown for himself, Napoleon still holds true to what was fought for in the French Revolution.
Without a doubt the greatest way Napoleon went against French Revolution ideals was in crowning himself emperor. This could have been a momentous setback for France after just overthrowing a corrupted monarchy but Napoleon was well prepared. He managed to quell the chances of another revolution by not only retaining many of the same rights brought about by the revolution but by further stamping out Enlightenment ideas which led to the revolution in the first place.
While the Declaration of the Rights of Man simply ignored the rights of women, the Napoleonic Code actually managed to make the lives of women worse. The code made it harder for women to divorce and gave the farther harsher control over their children with the option to send them to prison on demand.
While Napoleon expertly established himself as the most powerful man in the word at the time, he did so by betraying the true motivation for the French Revolution which was the topple the monarchy in favor of a government ruled by the people. While he kept many of the same rights further established by the revolution, Napoleon still did not hold true to the beliefs of it.
Napoleon Bonaparte, that quintessential leader of men, winner of battles and builder of empires, knew well the importance of keeping his people happy. As a member of the third estate himself he had learned well the lesson of the Revolution, that oppressive or indifferent leaders are inevitably brought down by the people they rule. Thus when Napoleon became emperor he made sure that most of the rights given to the people by the Declaration of the Rights of Man were upheld in his new government. Napoleon created the Napoleonic Code, a document similar to the Declaration of the Rights of Man, in order to codify these rights and to condense the previous 300 legal systems into just 7. In the Code Napoleon outlined the basic rights of the people: right to property, right to education, birthrights, right to equal taxation, and right to a trial. Napoleon especially upheld the right of all men to be equal under the law. He also made sure that his government officials were appointed based upon their abilities and not their prior social status to ensure that his government would run effectively. In these ways Napoleon respected and upheld the rights and fundamentals of the French Revolution.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Napoleon also betrayed those same fundamentals of the Revolution. He took away freedom of the press, shutting down 60 of the 73 French newspapers and heavily censoring the remaining 13. Though governmentally this was a smart move on Napoleon’s part , as having revolutionary ideas circulating through the populace would not have been a good thing for Napoleon, it was nonetheless a betrayal of the fundamental principles of freedom and liberty that came out of the Revolution. Also, though Napoleon upheld the rights of men, women actually lost the few rights they had gained after the Revolution, and were unable to divorce without great difficulty while at the same time forced to obey their husbands in all things. But Napoleon’s crowning betrayal (pun very much intended) was in his act of crowning himself emperor of France. The Revolution was fought to rid the French people of monarchs forever, and for Napoleon to essentially crown himself as the next king of France after touting the ideals of the Revolution was his ultimate act of hypocrisy. Though Napoleon ruled France well and did uphold the rights of the people, he nonetheless betrayed what the French people had fought so long and hard for.
Born into the 3rd estate, Napoleon Bonaparte believed that all men were equal before the law and partially based his set of laws (commonly known as the Napoleonic Code written in 1804) on the Declaration of the Rights of Man (which was written not long before). The Napoleonic Code (comprised 7 codes) replaced the 300 different legal systems that had been spread throughout France during the Revolution.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ideas that his code had in common with the Declaration of the Rights of man was that all citizens were equal before the law, this included the well-known concept of all men being innocent until declared guilty (a concept that is also seen in the United State’s Constitution). The Declaration of the Rights of man states that “...all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty...” and the Napoleonic Code went along with this idea. Both codes also left career opportunities open to the entirety of France’s population. The Declaration of Rights of Man changed this claiming that “A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means.” This drastically changed France, it used to be that your career choices were limited based on birth, now career opportunities were based on skill. Once again, Napoleon did not feel the need to change this law so it was written into his own code. Both sets of laws also stated that all men were equal, and were entitled to basic rights such as life, liberty, security, and resistance to oppression.
The main way the Napoleon went against ideas of the French Revolution was by crowing himself Emperor. The Revolution had been an attempt to get rid of the monarchy, and Napoleon (in his own way) brought it back. He also went against the basic ideas of the Revolution in his Code. While one of the basic rights listed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man was freedom of the press, Napoleon shut down 60 of the 63 newspapers in France at the time. He also completely stripped women of any rights they had before (which wasn’t many as the Declaration of the Rights of Man failed to give Women any rights in the first place.)
The ideas that were kept from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and put into the Napoleonic Code were essential for a successful society. The Napoleonic Code was written to simplify the confusion created by the differences in the legal systems of France. Napoleon Bonaparte wrote the document with the intention of creating a sense of unity among the people of France.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of the Rights of Man states, “All citizens, being equal before it, are equally admissible to all public offices, and employments, according to their capacity, and without other distinction than that of virtues and talents.” This concept was used to further the rights of those under the rule of Napoleon. If Napoleon denied the right of equality, there was a strong possibility of the people uniting to attack Napoleon’s rule. Napoleon, being a brilliant strategist and thinker, knew that creating tension among the people was not in his best interest. He also allowed the occupations to be open to any of the French. This allowed for people to not have as much discrimination among classes.
However, Napoleon completely disregarded the idea of, “The source of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation; no group, no individual may exercise authority not emanating expressly therefrom” when he arrogantly places the crown upon his head; declaring himself the Emperor of France. Having such an inflated ego, Napoleon Bonaparte denies freedom of the press by shutting down 60 of 73 newspaper distributors in France. This action was taken to prevent the possibility of spreading ideas that were not in Napoleon Bonaparte’s favor. If anything bad were to leak out, there would be a strong possibility that the people of France would, once again, join together to defeat the monarchy that is hindering their ability to operate as a nation supported by the people as opposed to one single ruler.
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ReplyDeleteNapolean Bonaparte declared himself emperor of France shortly after the French Revolution drew to a close, taking advantage of his popularity as a war hero and France’s need for strong leadership. Ironically, Napoleon came to power as a new monarch only eleven years after King Louis XVI’s execution at the hand of the mob. Though Napoleon did perpetuate some of the legal advances towards justice and equality made in the Revolution, this new monarch daringly defied some revolutionary principles of freedom. While his own rise to power from the third estate was very symbolic of the Revolution, his choices to place his brothers as the kings of Naples, Spain, Holland, and Westphalia seemed to contradict both the Revolution and Napoleon’s own belief that “social distinctions may be based only upon general usefulness.” Napoleon also disappointed French women and children by eliminating any legal advances made for those parties during the Revolution.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon enhanced legal justice, firstly by clearly defining the laws within his Civil Code and secondly by specifically detailing court procedure. In having a system of clear, accessible law, Napoleon made it easier for citizens and courts to see where an offense lay, which both decreased unknowing crime and facilitated court rulings for or against a criminal. Napoleon’s code details methods of taking down court transcripts, stating that whoever writes the trial notes must record everything, including the “the year, the day, and hour, at which they shall be received; the Christian name, surname, age, profession, and domicil of all those who shall be therein mentioned.” The codes also insist that the court recorder “insert nothing other than what is declared by the parties” in the record. Napoleon’s codes go on to promote the use of attorneys, define witness requirements, and demand the reading of the criminal charges.
Napoleon furthered some of the civil rights promoted by the French Revolution by establishing a series of codes defining the natural rights due to a Frenchman and to whom these rights pertain. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen states in the first clause that “men are born and remain free and equal in rights,” going on later to specify these rights as “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” In the Napoleonic Codes, the French emperor immediately lays down general rights in “Book I: Of Persons,” stating firstly that “every Frenchman shall enjoy civil rights.” He dedicates two entire books of his law code to property: “Book II: Of Property, and the Different Modifications of Property” as well as “Book III: Of the Different Modes of Acquiring Property”; these codes confirmed that “property is a sacred and inviolate right [that] no one can be deprived thereof unless a legally established public necessity obviously requires it,” as stated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, as well as specifically outlining those “public necessities” or other matters that would, in fact, demand the transfer of property. Napoleon also promises security in his codes in allowing a chapter about the military. This chapter provides a “public force instituted for the advantage of all,” as requested by the Declaration, and states that military personnel are also accountable to the Napoleonic laws.
However, in one of Napoleon’s most glaring betrayals of the French Revolution, he limits freedom by not allowing “every citizen to speak, write, and print freely” as demanded by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Napoleon knows that the spread of Enlightenment ideas and the fervid newspaper denouncements of Louis XVI and the Second Estate were leading causes in the previous ruler’s demise. This observation encouraged him to close down any controversial newspapers to ensure that he would not fall from grace so quickly.
ReplyDeleteSources:
"French Civil Code." The Napoleon Series. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/code/book1/c_title02.html.
"Revolutionary France: The Declaration of the Rights of an and Citizen, 1791"
When Napoleon rose to power, France was in a critical state. Still fragile post-revolutions, Napoleon needed to unite the broken and raw France. In order to appease both the revolutionaries and the former aristocracy, he redesigned the “Rights of Man Document.” Napoleon kept the basic elements of the constitution but modified it enough for aristocracy and religion to still exist. He preserved the following elements from the “Declaration of the Rights of Man”: natural birth rights, equality in the workplace, freedom of religion, equality before the law, the right to press charges, equal taxation, and the abolition of feudalism. He opened many career options for the French people. He also developed a meritocracy, eliminating the incompetent officials who wielded power due to socio-economic status rather than qualification.
ReplyDeleteIn opposition, Napoleon also stifled key revolutionary ideals. “The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.” This inalienable right was completely smothered by Napolean. He silenced the voice of the people by shutting down many newspapers and imposing heavy censors on outgoing press. Also, Napoleon made peace with the Catholic Church, the enemy of the revolution. He re-established Catholicism as the official religion of France, sugar-coating it with the claim that Church land acquired in the revolution would be given to the common people. He also denied women equal rights. The final act of treason Napoleon committed against revolutionary ideals was crowning himself as emperor, thus, re-establishing the monarchy.
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ReplyDeleteNapoleon was a great fan of the French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and included many of the values expressed in the declaration in his Napoleonic Code. Napoleon was sure to include the fundamental idea of the declaration, that all men are equal, in his code. With this equality came basic rights in the declaration such as property, equal taxation, and fair trials, all of which Napoleon included in his code. Also, like in the declaration, Napoleon included the law that jobs should be given based on competence, and not family connections or social class. The Napoleonic Code was much more detailed than the Declaration of the rights of man, including laws on legal contracts, mortgages, and pawning. This level of detail was required to replace and unify the some 300 different legal systems in France into one document.
ReplyDeleteThough Napoleon claimed to be a great supporter of the ideas of the revolution, he abolished the liberty of the press, causing 60 of the 73 newspapers in France to shutdown. Though women’s rights were not expressed in the declaration, Napoleon decided to include women in his code, but only to suppress them more, making their ability to divorce an unwilling husband near impossible. Based on the Napoleonic Code, I believe Napoleon would have done a great job writing a unifying constitution, had he not had the possibility of supreme power. Obliterating the past government and making himself “supreme dictator for life” was a slap in the face to the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which was based on the idea that all men are equal and deserve equal representation in their government.
Napoleon Bonaparte came from a modest background on the French Island of Corsica. His moderate upbringing motivated to gain power and overcompensate. He succeeded in the military, and eventually crowned himself as emperor. His impressive rise to power had a significant impact on his domestic policies.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon completely reformed the French legal system. Previously, there were approximately 300 law systems within the country, none of which were standardized. In March of 1804, he unified France by publishing Civil Code and henceforth changing the legal system forever.
Fulfilled Ideals
Napoleon Bonaparte fulfilled many of the rights that were fought for during the French Revolution.
Preserved Ideals
Many of the rights that were fought for in the French Revolution were preserved in the Napoleonic Code. A common motif in history is civil rights. They have been a major topic of contention, and the French Revolution was no exception. Similar to the Declaration of Rights of Man, the Code stated, “Every Frenchman shall enjoy civil rights.” Today this is a basic right, but then it was a major step forward for average people. This simple statement resulted in empowerment and opportunity for all French citizens.
Napoleon preserved the right that citizens were to be awarded jobs on the basis of their skill and qualifications, not their social status. As a result, he kept competent government officials. This part of the code obviously reflects Napoleon’s personal upbringing. As stated previously, he was from a modest background, and gained emperorship by hard work and creative thinking. As he had the opportunity to succeed, he wanted all men to have the same prospect.
ReplyDeleteBetrayed Ideals
Though Bonaparte preserved many rights, he also stole many of the rights that were rewarded as a result of the revolution. The Declaration of Rights of Man clearly stated, “No one is to be disquieted because of his opinions, even religious, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.” Napoleon shut down 60 of the 73 newspapers in France, hence disquieting many of the French people. He did this to silence the opposition and criticism he was facing. Instead of the truth being reported, Napoleon was able to publish propaganda and deceive his citizens.
Though Olympes de Gorges thoughtfully wrote out the Declaration of Rights of Women, Napoleon completely ignored her ideas in his Napoleonic Code. De Gorges wrote “Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights.” On the other hand, Napoleon wrote “The wife is obliged to live with her husband, and to follow him to every place where he may judge it convenient to reside,” and made it difficult for women to divorce their husbands. Overall, the code gave men more power in the home, and prevented women from living freely.
The Catholic Church was a longtime enemy of the Revolution. They hoarded many of the taxes from the third estate, yet were ignorant of their suffering. Instead of ignoring the church’s demands, Napoleon satisfied them by rewarding Catholicism the official religion of France. But, he did not return the Church’s lost land from the Revolution. This act completely betrayed the Revolution, but may have been necessary to keep the church happy, and prevent further conflict.
Though many of the most vital rights were preserved in the Napoleonic Code, women and children were denied. Children were declined of inheritance, and women were treated like children. At the same time, we cannot forget his preservation of essential rights and his magnificent reformation of a complex system.
After the French revolution, a new person named Napoleon came to power. Born in the lower estates, Napoleon went through some tough times. As he got older, he remembered what he went through as a child, so he tried to make up for what he never had.
ReplyDeleteStarting at a young age, Napoleon gradually worked his way up to power. After becoming emperor, Napoleon made some modifications to the Declaration of the Rights of Man that was made during the French Revolution. He called this modification of his, The Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code had both fulfilling and betraying ideas of the French Revolution.
The Napoleonic Code had many fulfilling ideas of the French Revolution. Before the Napoleonic Code had come into play in France, France did not have a set of laws. Their laws depended on the local customs and privileges granted by the King or other high estate lords. But, after Napoleon reformed the legal system, France finally had a set of laws. During the French Revolution, there were many different legal systems in all the different parts of France. During this time, the people who went to different parts of France were confused, because of all the different legal systems. Then, the Napoleonic Code made it so all of France had one legal system. This also led to no confusion to what the people could not do and to what the people could do. This code also allowed the freedom of religion, which would have a huge effect on people because now they are free to believe in what they want, instead of being forced. The code also prohibited judges from passing judgments that were out of their judgment. Therefore, the Napoleonic Code had some fulfilling qualities of the French Revolution.
Although the Napoleonic Code had some good qualities, it also had some bad ones. During the French Revolution, all people had equal rights (according to the Declaration of the Rights of Man), but in the new Napoleonic Code, children and women were given fewer rights than they had before. In my opinion, that is a huge step backwards for equal rights in France. That is a BIG No, No on Napoleon’s part. In my opinion the biggest failure on Napoleon’s part was banishing the press. In the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the freedom of speech is introduced, but in the Napoleonic Code, there is no press allowed. This was a bad step to take because this could have made the people of France wonder if Napoleon had something to hide or was already hiding something from the people. It was also bad because almost no newspapers were seen in that time, because there was no news, as a result of no press.
Over Napoleon’s time ruling France, he did some things that helped France move in a positive direction, and he did some things that made France move back to where it all started. Overall, Napoleon was a better leader than King Louis could have ever been, and the French people looked up to him as a brave and honorable leader. He will always be known as the French legend.
John Heenan
ReplyDeleteNapoleon Assignment
When Napoleon Bonaparte took power in France, he proceeded to implemented a series of changes that modified the French legal and social system. One of the most prominent of these was the new French Civil Code. The Code served to simplify the judicial process, and instituted one set of laws across all of France, making administration and the judicial system simpler.
In implementing this new set of laws, Napoleon took many actions, some of which furthered the ideals of the French revolution and some of which hindered them.
One of the most prominent ways in which Napoleon fulfilled the ideals of the French Revolution was by allowing the people to retain any land that they had won from the church during the revolution. While it is true that his primary motivation was to satiate the people, he also did not revoke their land. This was something that had been fought for during the revolution, and Napoleon did not attempt to take it back by force. While his interests were self serving, it did help the people.
The revolution extended very few rights to women, and this was not something that Napoleon rectified when he created the Civil Code. To the contrary, he furthered reduced the rights of women, and of children, making them both dependent upon the husband/father for legal status and support.
Upon his secure seat in office, Napoleon shut down the vast majority of Paris’ newspapers, fearing that they would write something demeaning about him. This reduced freedom of speech significantly, where previously it could only be impeded for the civil good.
Napoleon kept one major ideal of the revolution in the Civil Code, that all people are equal. The Civil Code does not provide for a class system, nor does it provide separate legal rulings based on the social position of a citizen. This provided a level of equality under the law for all citizens, providing they were men.
Another important revolutionary concept that Napoleon maintained was that positions should be awarded based on merit, not based on any other distinction, such as position or birth. This meant that people in government, where Napoleon had the mist control over the hiring process, would be competent and know how to do their jobs. This was an important ideal of the revolution, and was maintained by Napoleon.
Napoleon maintained many of the key ideals of the revolution. However, he failed to maintain certain civil liberties we take for granted in the U.S. today, such as the freedom of speech and the rights of women. Despite these shortcomings, the Civil Code was one of the earliest examples of a unified code of laws for a given country, and succeeded in doing what it was designed to do.
Napoleon’s Preservation of the Ideas of the Revolution
ReplyDelete¬In the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, “A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.” During the French revolution, several new ideas regarding the oppression of the people by the ruling class found their bayonets. In 1793, due to the action taken by the revolutionaries, The Declaration of the Rights of Man was signed into action. It proclaimed that, “all men are to be treated equally before the law.” When Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power in 1799 he preserved this tidbit of revolutionary ideal in his Napoleonic Code. This preservation was a huge success with the common people because most were poor and did not like constantly taking the fall for their wealthy counterparts. Another popular revolutionary idea present in Napoleon’s code is, “career open to talents,” or, the safeguard on jobs for the poor. Basically, this meant that all people should have access to career advancement based on skill rather than social status. This was critical for the support of the people because, as previously mentioned, the majority of the French population had little money.
On the other hand, several key revolution ideals were destroyed or flat out ignored by Napoleon. For instance, the liberty of the press was ripped away from the French people. All but 18% of the newspapers were forced to close by the government. Presumably, the 13 papers that were allowed to remain open were the ones that said things the government approved of. Also, the few rights that women gained via the revolution were forgotten. Some might even say that women’s rights were even worse than before the revolution. Napoleon’s code made it almost impossible for a woman to get a divorce. Women who married were treated like children; they could do virtually nothing without the approval of their husband in some way. For example, women were not able to trade or exchange property without their husband’s approval. Naturally, Olympe de Gorges was apoplectic to see all of the rights she had worked so hard for being destroyed. Also, Napoleon went against the views of the revolutionaries when his raging ego and thirst for power caused him to name himself ruler of France. The revolution in France was a step forward in reducing the oppression of the people by the all-powerful ruler. However Napoleon recreated the position of the monarchy, which allowed it to be taken, after Napoleon’s downfall, by none other than Louis XVIII, Louis XVI’s brother.