The French Revolution and Napoleon

Napoleon was a very influential person in history. He helped shape many modern countries. Napoleon is sometimes considered a tyrannical dictator, but in reality he furthered the ideals of the French revolution and was a much better alternative to the "Reign of Terror." Napoleon did many great things, including establishing civil equality, giving liberties to the people, and making the government of France productive.

Napoleon Justin Walker Nationalism is the devotion of people to the interests of its nation or the love of one's country to stay independent. Nationalism played a major role in the downfall of Napoleon in that he wanted an empire and his opponent's wanted independence.

Napoleon established civil equality in France and in many of the countries he conquered. Napoleon did away with feudalism once and for all, so peasants could own land. Napoleon also let peasants and nobles have equal economic and political opportunities. Napoleon did away with the privileged position of the Catholic Church, and he divided much of its land among the peasants. Napoleon nationalized the Catholic Church and made bishops, priests, and cardinals employees of the state. Napoleon made all groups of people pay taxes, and he did away with aristocratic privilege.( Hibbert, 162)

Napoleon also gave many liberties to the people. He not only gave liberties to the French people, but also to the people in the countries he conquered. Napoleon gave peasants rights and allowed them to own land. Napoleon also had the Code Napoleon written, which was a codification of the laws of the French Revolution. It was similar to the American Constitution, and many of its rights were carried to other countries.

Napoleon accomplished one of the hardest tasks in history, making the French government productive. Before Napoleon, the French government was in disarray and was constantly in debt. Napoleon made France a unitary type of government, which gave France uniformity, symmetry, and efficiency. He even got the government out of debt. Napoleon made governmental positions available to people from all walks of life, which made the government stronger. Napoleon made a stable tax system, created The Bank of France, and made many public works. The government became so stable, that it was able to print its own currency. Since the government was more stable, more merchants began to trade with France. They knew that with Napoleon in power, they would be protected from highwaymen and robbers. ...