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Explanation:
Enlightenment ideals such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," greatly affected the American Revolution, and it, in turn, had a significant impact on the French people. It represented a successful case of a people's efforts to achieve true freedom, freedom that the French populace coveted for themselves. They were suppressed by the monarchy, and many Enlightenment thinkers and philosophers entertained the idea of a revolution and nurtured the budding hope of the increasingly desperate middle and lower class French population.
The incensed revolutionaries soon organized a complete overthrow of the current French monarchy that placed themselves in power. They sought to eradicate any remnants of the previous Old Regime. They instated rash and controversial laws - including the division between "active" and "passive" citizens, the suppression of Christianity, and the complete eradication of the aristocracy.
The increasing burden of taxes placed on the already struggling people only exacerbated the growing discontent within the general French population. To deal with this problem, the king convened a meeting of the Estates General, but solving France's financial problems proved difficult in face of the greatly misrepresented Third Estate. The wealthiest continued to be largely exempt from taxation responsibilities, while the poorest classes were expected to contribute the most for their nation.
Napoleon's reputation as a leader - recognized for his part in the French conquest of Egypt - promoted him to general. He hungered for power, and conspired with two of the five directors of the Directory to overthrow the other three leaders of the government. The coup replaced the Directory with a three-person Consulate. Beginning in 1799, Napoleon was the First Consul, and in August 1802, he declared himself the sole Consul for Life. Ultimately, Napoleon crowned himself emperor and the pope consecrated the coronation.
