Napoleon Bonaparte Research Paper

A constitution went into effect, in France, in 1795 that restricted voting to property owners, most of whom were middle class. The Legislature made laws and appointed the directors. The new executive branch of government, called the Directory, had a committee of five men called Directors. It only ruled France from 1795 until 1799, by virtue of being unable to give France a stable government. Contrarily to the Directory, the French army had superb leadership. Continued victories against England and Austria gave many military leaders fame and national recognition, with Napoleon Bonaparte standing high above his compatriots. Having previously saved the Convention from Paris mobs, Napoleon already gained the government's respect, and used this …show more content…
He then moved to France to attend military school, where he graduated as an artillery officer. Called a military genius by many, Napoleon led France to victories against the Austrians and Sardinians. He became a general at the young age of twenty-six. Short, domineering, and extremely ambitious, Bonaparte was a master organizer and administrator in political and military affairs. Following an especially impressive triumph in Italy, Napoleon returned to France as a national hero. Fearing his popularity, the Directory persuaded Bonaparte to sail with an army to Egypt to disrupt English trade there. This move proved to be a disaster as Napoleon's army met a humiliating defeat in Syria. Bonaparte secretly escaped to France, where he minimized the true situation, even exaggerating his victories previous to the Syrian disaster. With his shining image hardly blemished, the former artillery captain was in the right place at the right time. France was in a state of uncertainty and confusion. An increasing number of Frenchmen were looking for a strong leader who would lead them out of their fear and …show more content…
Because its executive branch was made up of three consuls who were appointed for ten years, the new government was known as the Consulate. The true power of the Consulate rested in the office of First Consul, the position to which Napoleon conveniently appointed himself. Along with his command of the army and navy, Napoleon also exercised the power to appoint or dismiss officials and the authority to oppose all new laws. The legislature, given little real power, was composed of several assemblies established only as puppets in the hands of the First Consul. Napoleon modified some of the ideas of the French Revolution. He, too, stressed equality, but explained that liberty meant freedom of opportunity. He taught that people should obey their leader, who in turn ought to govern to the best of his ability for the good of the people. The principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man continued in effect, and the feudal system remained abolished, allowing peasants to keep their land. All that Napoleon proposed and provided, the French generally agreed to, as long as the peace and security they so desperately sought came along with

Show More