Back Where They Started

 

 

Hey guys! Today we are going to talk about the things that happened after the French Revolution.

 

After the Reign of Terror, France struggled under the Directory (a five member executive government).  The Directory faced corruption, political conflict, economic difficulties, and continuing war.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte gained fame through successful military campaigns and became increasingly influential. In 1799, Napoleon helped overthrow the Directory in the Coup of 18 Brumaire. He became First Consul and gradually concentrated political authority in his own hands. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French, showing that the Revolution had moved from monarchy to republic to a new form of personal rule.

 

Napoleon made a lot of changes, some were a benefit to the citizens and some weren’t.

 

The Napoleonic Code was created to have a more uniform legal system. It strengthened equality before the law for men, protected property, and weakened remnants of feudal
privilege.

 

Napoleon strengthened the national government and appointed officials to administer France more consistently.

 

The state expanded secondary education and created institutions designed to train officials and military officers.

 

Napoleon reached an agreement with the Catholic Church that restored religious stability while keeping the state in a strong position.

Political opposition was restricted, censorship was used, and Napoleon controlled much of the political system. Revolutionary equality did not mean political democracy.

 

During Napoleon’s spread of liberalism  he introduced many ideas.

 

Property Rights — Private property became more protected

 

Merit — Government and military advancement became
merit based

Administration — Government became centralized

 

Contradiction — Legal liberalism didn’t mean political liberalism. He censored his opposition and ruled as an emperor.

 

 Nationalism — a political idea and feeling of strong loyalty to one’s country. It holds that a group of people who share the same culture, language, or history should rule themselves in their own independent land.

 

German lands — Resistance to French rule encouraged ideas of greater unity among German speaking nations. The lead to the eventual unification of Germany.

 

A bunch of powerful people that didn’t like Napoleon came together and made the “Congress of Vienna”.

 

The Congress met after Napoleon’s first defeat and continued after his final defeat in 1815. Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia, and eventually France were central to the settlement. They wanted to prevent another Napoleon so they redrew borders and restored monarchies. The settlement showed that Europe has conservative fears about more revolution.

 

The Congress of Vienna aimed to create stability, create balance, establish nationalism, and establish liberalism.

 

That’s it for today guys.. See you next time!