Who Is Napoleon Bonaparte First Consul
Napoleon Bonaparte, born on Corsica in 1769, would become one of the world’s most famous generals and leaders. Bonaparte, inspired by enlightenment thinkers like Jacques Rosseau, would become the military commander of Paris and then with his influence, he drafted a new constitution of France in which he erected the consulate. Napoleon would be one of three consuls but as the first consul, Napoleon’s power was much stronger than the other two. Napoleon, as first consul, could elect any person and sway any law. By 1802, he was granted the ability to be first consul for life. Essentially, undoing the effort and reason for the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte had brought back the monarchy to France. As a general Napoleon did bring order back
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These laws would be known as the Code Napoleon. Enacted in 1804, The Code Napoleon as explained in Europe, 1648-1815: From the Old Regime to the Age of Revolution by Robin W. Winks and Thomas E. Kaiser, declared “all men equal before the law without regard to rank and wealth. It extended to all the right to follow the occupation and embrace the religion of their choosing. It gave France the single coherent system of law that the philosophes had demanded….” At first glance the Code Napoleon sounds amazing, but the law codes were definitely misconceiving as they held within them a lot of bad things as well. The Code Napoleon also favored the interests of the state over the individual, so again we can link it back to a monarchy-type rule. Again, going back to the law codes bringing back a monarchy-type rule, the emperor (Napoleon) had full right to appoint judges, dukes, and other high titles. More barbarically, the law codes also allowed for the use of torture in trials, furthermore it gave Napoleon the ability to be judge, jury and executioner if Napoleon did not get his way or the results he desired. By re-instituting monarchy type rule, Bonaparte had undone the efforts of the French Revolution. He may have stabilized the country, but Bonaparte had definitely set the country up again for failure with the Code Napoleon and then again with his failed continental
These laws would be known as the Code Napoleon. Enacted in 1804, The Code Napoleon as explained in Europe, 1648-1815: From the Old Regime to the Age of Revolution by Robin W. Winks and Thomas E. Kaiser, declared “all men equal before the law without regard to rank and wealth. It extended to all the right to follow the occupation and embrace the religion of their choosing. It gave France the single coherent system of law that the philosophes had demanded….” At first glance the Code Napoleon sounds amazing, but the law codes were definitely misconceiving as they held within them a lot of bad things as well. The Code Napoleon also favored the interests of the state over the individual, so again we can link it back to a monarchy-type rule. Again, going back to the law codes bringing back a monarchy-type rule, the emperor (Napoleon) had full right to appoint judges, dukes, and other high titles. More barbarically, the law codes also allowed for the use of torture in trials, furthermore it gave Napoleon the ability to be judge, jury and executioner if Napoleon did not get his way or the results he desired. By re-instituting monarchy type rule, Bonaparte had undone the efforts of the French Revolution. He may have stabilized the country, but Bonaparte had definitely set the country up again for failure with the Code Napoleon and then again with his failed continental