Question

1. Napoleon Bonaparte claimed to have put into practice the ideals of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment. Do you think he did? Did his actions and the legacy of his reign represent those ideals? Write a paragraph in which you state whether or not Bonaparte’s reign and legacy embodied the ideals of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment. Provide facts to support your claim.

Answer 1

Despite the desire of the French people for representative government, Napoleon sincerely believed that in fact the French had an instinctive need for some form of monarchy. He will provide a French monarchy more efficient, more ruthless and more powerful than any other in the "Ancien Regime." He will not only restrict the freedoms of the French, but undermined the Equality that was so dearly brought in the early years of the Revolution. 

As emperor, he has recreated a French aristocracy, rewarding his generals with noble titles and estates. In all, there were a thousand barons, four hundred counts and thirty-two dukes in the Napoleonic nobility. He also turned his back on the religious attitudes of the Revolution by restoring Catholicism in France, and signing an agreement with the Pope in the Concordat of 1801. 

Finally, I would point out that Napoleon had the art to preserve the appearance of continuity with the revolutionaries of 1789. Although the Constitution meant little in practice, he maintained the idea of ​​constitutional government, while he was in fact a "dictator." However, Napoleon insisted that he was the representative of the French people with their approval, expressed in popular votes.