Lab Report

Taylor Vickhammer

Professor Benkert

History 104

20, September 2014

Ruthless Idealist

The French Revolution birthed many ideas of equality and liberty that wouldn’t be instilled until Napoleon Bonaparte used imperialistic methods to rise to power. Napoleon brought the principles of the French Revolution to France and various parts of Europe to free the people from their previous oppressors and bring peace from the violence. However, he did this through numerous military campaigns to establish control. Napoleon can be seen as a liberator, who implemented civility and equality through out Eastern Europe, but also as a aggressive dictator whose thirst for power could only be quenched by becoming the ruler of all of Europe.

Through Napoleons Coup De’tat in 1799, he seized complete control of the French government and through his imperious rule over the next decade, achieved the ideals the revolution could not. Emmanuel-Aguste states that “Three or four years [of Napoleonic Rule] would have produced a profound peace, a brilliant prosperity”. By the time Napoleon named himself Emperor in 1804, he removed any birth right officials from government and hired an all new staff, limiting the influence of the old order over his new regime. With this new rule, he was able to establish a new economic order that was efficient in collecting taxes and did not discriminate based on class. An example of his new taxing system was the Concordat with the Catholic Church. Napoleon removed regulations on the church to once again allow them to preach and spread their Catholicism, but refused to give them the land back that they had lost during the revolution and there exemption of taxes. Napoleon said “That the French revolution is not finished as long as the scourge of war lasts… I want peace, as much to settle the present French government as to save the world from chaos. Napoleon was able to achieve prosperity and peace through this deal because the church would be allowed to...