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