The Rise and Fall of Napoleon

How Napoleon Restored Order

• Efficient tax collecting system• Established a national bank• Got rid of corrupt officials• Set up government-run schools• Signed an agreement with Pope Pius VII• Passed the Napoleonic Code – Supported freedom of religion and forbade privileges

based on birth (government jobs go to those best qualified)

– Influenced the laws of many other countries

Napoleonic Code (Don’t Write)• The French longed for structure

and organization

• It preserved the social aims of the Revolution.

• It protected the interests of the rising middle class.

• It promoted order over individual rights.

Napoleon Creates an Empire

• Not only did Napoleon want to rule France, but he wanted to rule the rest of Europe and the New World

France in the New World• 1789: the idea of revolution

had reached Haiti, France’s colony in the Caribbean– They wanted the same rights as

the former 3rd Estate in France, so they stopped making sugar

• Napoleon sent 29,000 troops to restore the production of sugar, but the colony (led by Toussaint L’Ouverture) and its slaves were hard to beat

• Napoleon could not win, so he ended up selling the land to the U.S. for $15 million– The money helped France’s economy and gave

Napoleon the money to try and take over Europe

Napoleon and Europe

• First: took parts of Netherlands and Italy• Britain, Russia, Austria, and Sweden feared

Napoleon and set up a third coalition against France

• Napoleon, through several battles, conquered the largest European Empire since Rome– Had peace treaties with Russia, Austria, and

Prussia

• Napoleon was unable to beat Great Britain– Britain was known for its strong navy that beat

Napoleon and his navy at the Battle of Trafalgar

Napoleon’s Empire

• 1812: the only nations not under France’s rule were Britain, the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, and Sweden

• The large empire prompted the growth of nationalism among the conquered nations– Nationalism: the belief that one’s greatest loyalty

should be to your nation and your people rather than a king or a leader

• Although the empire was large, it only lasted for 5 years before it started to collapse.

Processing

• What was the benefit(s) of Napoleon selling off French territory in the New World?

• What is nationalism and how do Americans display nationalism today?

Napoleon’s Empire Collapses

• Napoleon made 3 mistakes• 1st: the Continental System—In November of

1806, Napoleon called for a blockade of all ports to limit Great Britain’s influence. This was called the Continental System. Its goal was to destroy GB’s economy and make Europe self-sufficient.– GB made its own blockade and with its stronger

navy, it had better luck. This hurt France’s economy.

• 2nd: The Peninsular War—1808-Portugal was ignoring the Continental System, so Napoleon sent an army through Spain to invade Portugal. This upset the Spanish, so Napoleon kicked out their King and appointed his brother. – Napoleon also outlawed the Spanish Inquisition– For 5 years, Spanish guerillas struck at French armies

in Spain (the Peninsular War). Napoleon lost 300,000 men.

– In Spain and across Europe, nationalism (loyalty to one’s own country) was becoming a powerful weapon against Napoleon

• 3rd: Invasion of Russia—1812:Russia and Napoleon both wanted Poland, and Russia refused to stop selling grain to Great Britain.– June 1812: Napoleon invaded Russia. The Russians

retreated, burning their own lands as they went. – How would the burning of Russian lands affect the

French?

– Napoleon reached Moscow, but the Russians burned it down too

– Napoleon turned around, but the Russians attacked his weak, cold, and starving army the whole way back to France. By the end, Napoleon had 10,000 men left out of an original 690,000

Napoleon’s Downfall

• Napoleon’s enemies took advantage of his weak army. Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden joined forces and defeated Napoleon.

• April 1814: Napoleon surrendered his throne. He was given a small pension and banished to Elba.

Newspaper Article

• Goal: to write a newspaper article that describes Napoleon’s rise to and fall from power.

• Requirements:– Headline– 1st paragraph rise– 2nd paragraph fall– 3rd personal opinion of Napoleon and his work– 100 words