Napoleon
On 9th December 1799 Napoleon managed to seize power of France. Between his seizure of power and the resumption of the war in Europe, Napoleon introduced several important domestic reforms. His policy focused on the law, education, the church and economics. Peace, prosperity and an administration characterised by vigour were the hallmarks of the consulate and for these Napoleon is often given a lot of praise. Although he did introduce many lasting reforms many of the consulate's 'achievements' were becoming apparent before Brumaire. Through his reforms Napoleon aimed to end the disorder and discontent produced by the revolution. He moved progressively towards a dictatorship of the political right wing. His new reforms occasionally went against the revolutionary principles and his rule was more one of enlightened despotism than the revolutionary democracy.As emperor Napoleon ensured he had a firm grasp on the law and used it to silence his opposition. He nominated magistrates for life and this gave him a firm control over the judiciary. In 1800 the Council of State began a scheme to codify and simplify the law. This codisation rejected the liberty of the revolution and this gave Napoleon greater power over all his sub
Until 1806 the government was able to finance it's wars and campaigns without the inflation, which had crippled previous governments. A key aspect of government policy was wartime plunder. This plunder financed the war, fed troops, helped establish the regime in France and the booty stimulated agriculture and industry and kept employment high. After 1806 the supply of loot began to dry up and military expenditure had to be met by taxation and customs dues. This led to a financial crisis in 1810 but in general the regime was still more stable than those previous. To keep his popularity Napoleon needed to make France successfully economically. The new administration allowed the government to tap into the country's wealth by centralising tax collection and controlling expenditure. Tax collectors were paid officials who were less likely to be corrupt than their predecessors and the administration was so successful in controlling expenditure that the budget was balanced by 1802. Under the new administration, however, industrial and commercial profits were taxed lightly which went against the egalitarian principles of the revolution. The country continued with traditional methods of manufacture and there was no great agricultural or industrial revolution. The primitive state of communications prevented the emergence of a national market and preserved a regionalised and fragmented economy. The biggest failure of Napoleon's economic policies was that the British naval blockades and effects of the Continental System had destroyed large-scale maritime commerce. Napoleon believed that Britain was on the verge of economic breakdown due to French domination of the market, which excluded British goods, but this was an unfounded idea. The main changes that did take place were extensions of trades that had begun before 1800. "A state without religion is like a vessel without a compass."
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2124
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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