Uncover the era of the French Consulate, focusing on Napoleon's political strategies, reforms, and eventual rise to the position of Emperor.

The Consulate

• The Rise of Napoleon
  • The revisionists who engineered the Brumaire coup sought a strong, elitist government, intending to curb political turmoil.
  • General Bonaparte advocated a drastic concentration of power and became the dominant figure within days.
  • The Constitution of the Year VIII, approved by a plebiscite, created an executive of three consuls, with Napoleon wielding all real power.
  • In 1802, after military victories, Napoleon was granted a position for life, cementing his grip on power.
  • In April 1804, Napoleon was declared Emperor, marking the creation of the Napoleonic Empire.
• Structure of the Consulate
  • The Constitution of 1791 had centered on legislative supremacy, but the Consulate marked the end of this tradition.
    • The Consulate's new bicameral legislature lost the power to initiate legislation.
    • The Corps Législatif voted on bills, but these limited powers were rarely used independently.
    • The Tribunate was purged, and in 1807, it was suppressed altogether.
• Napoleon's Political Strategy
  • The Senate became a tool for Napoleon’s authority, approving crucial changes such as the life consulship and his elevation to emperor.
  • Napoleon's Conseil d’État formulated policy, drafted legislation, and supervised ministries, drawing talent from across the political spectrum.
• Electoral System and Judiciary
  • Elections became a charade, with citizens voting for electoral colleges that nominated candidates for various government positions.
  • Judges were appointed for life, and Napoleon purged the judiciary in 1808.
  • The Local Government Act of 1800 eliminated elections for local office and organized government from the top down.
• Loss of Political Freedom
  • The Consulate banned political clubs and placed Jacobin and royalist cadres under surveillance.
  • Napoleon dissolved the Class of Moral and Political Science and curtailed the freedom of the press, reducing the number of newspapers in Paris from over 70 to just 4 by 1811.
• Society in Napoleonic France
  • Religious Policy
    • Napoleon secured confidence through the Concordat of 1802, which recognized Catholicism as France's preferred religion.
    • While the concordat ended the cycle of toleration and persecution, Napoleon used it to bolster his own authority.
  • Napoleonic Nobility
    • Napoleon created a new hierarchy of hereditary titles, cultivating loyalty among wealthy landowners and remnants of the old nobility.
    • By 1808, Napoleon's new nobility included generals, senators, archbishops, and members of the Conseil d’État.