His rule over France had some very positive aspects, most notably in terms of modernising administration. One has to see the nuance in history – that Napoléon shouldn’t be seen in black and white but rather in shades of grey. Was he a brilliant visionary or a horrible tyrant?īoth terms are arguably too strong. Napoléon’s rise was meteoric: He was just a young artillery officer from France’s furthest periphery in Corsica when the Revolution broke out in 1789, rose to the fore when he saved revolutionary France’s ruling Directory in 1795 by facing down royalist insurgents, became First Consul of the Republic in 1799 and was crowned Emperor of the French in 1804. By 1800 Napoleon had become the First Consul of France, and was now in a position of total power.Reproduction of a painting of Napoleon during his coronation as Emperor of the French in December 1804. Outmanoeuvring the government and supported by his army he collaborated in a coup d’état to overthrow the Directory and establish the Consulate. Despite defeats in Egypt, Napoleon returned to a hero’s reception. Successful in suppressing uprisings against the government and victorious in his Italian campaigns, Bonaparte was known as an excellent strategist who had gained the respect of his men through bravery and courage under fire, meticulous planning and an unconventional approach to warfare. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte returned from the Egyptian Campaign. Support for the new government weakened as it began to alienate key sectors of French society with its obvious corruption and quest for control of conflicting factions.

The Directory sought to relax the austerity and radicalism of the Committee of Public Safety by supressing the extremes of the Jacobin and royalist forces within France.ĭespite desire for change and stability, the Directory was beset with economic and civil problems, giving rise to high inflation and increased spending. This government included an upper house, called the Council of Ancients, and a lower house, called the Council of Five Hundred. The Directory became the new government of France after the Convention created a new constitution establishing a bicameral parliament. I found the crown of France in the gutter, and I picked it up.

When did napoleon take power