The Reign of Napoleon

When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power over France, he made huge impacts on the social, economic, and political systems of Europe.  These changes brought about both good and bad for many of the countries he conquered, as described by Madame de Stael, Marshall Michel Ney, and from an article called, "Lost Voices of Napoleonic Historians."  The first difference that Napoleon made was having to do with the social classes of all of the conquered countries.

The first major change was in the social class system.  What Napoleon brought with his rule was the abolishment of nobility and serfdom, and he also removed church privileges and trade barriers, which allowed industries to grow rapidly.  Because of Napoleon, social class differences grew smaller and more people had access to education and rights to property, and this gave the lower class more opportunities to make their lives better. With the removal of the nobility of conquered countries, it gave everyone equal opportunities and made the lives of the poor much better.

Napoleon also helped to drastically change the economic standpoint of every country he conquered.  For many of the lands he took over, this helped their overall economy and provoked production and growth, stimulating the economy even more for them.  He also created the bank of France, which allowed him to directly control the worth of money and wealth, and regulated the flow of it.  However, while some countries prospered from it, Italy was not so fortunate. Napoleon invaded Italy and took an exorbitant amount of wealth in the form of art. These captures of museums and other places of high value shook Italy's economy, and nearly destroyed it due to the sudden loss of wealth.  Not only did he make changes in the economy of countries, but he also changed the political view of everyone he took over.

When Napoleon begun his rule over France, he changed its system of government into a monarchy or dictatorship.  When he overtook countries, he sometimes allowed them to keep their system of government but only if they complied to his demands, such as making alliances and agreements that benefited Napoleon more.  By uniting France under a single ruler, he potentially increased their strength in military, and also increased the power of the country because decisions did not have to be debated on, they could just be enacted immediately. This allows for important decisions to be made earlier and not have to go through a whole process of authorizing it by a board of people.

Napoleon was one of France's best and worst rulers, for while he brought prosperity and change he also brought bloodshed and war.  He conquered new lands for he French Empire, and had slain those who stood in his way.

Link to the Lost Voices Article
 http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/c_historians.html