Napoleon Bonaparte, The True Son of the French Revolution
Uploaded by sunzzip102 on Jan 04, 2008
This is written in the form of an opening statement for a mock trial. We tried Napoleon as either contradictory of the French Revolution, or as the heir of the French Revolution. I chose to defend Napoleon.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you today to defend a man who brought stability to his people in a time of chaos. Napoleon Bonaparte most certainly did not want to return France to the ancient regime, but instead came to power promising to uphold both revolutionary principles and much needed social order. Since 1789, France experienced considerable instability. The outbreak of an all-European war against France in 1792 resulted in a reign of terror and a dictatorship by radical moralists lead by Robespierre. There were so many conflicts of interest in regard to different government practices and unpredictable wars. By 1795, the radical patriotism wore itself out and France was administratively in chaos. It was lacking the foundation that was essential in order to institutionalize the triumphs of the revolution. That is until Napoleon drew up his own administrative framework. Napoleon Bonaparte answered the call of duty with military precision. Napoleon expanded French borders to an extent unprecedented by any other French ruler before him and distributed the fruits of the French Revolution, namely liberty and equality to all countries that he conquered. In the lists of grievances that had been handed to Louis XVI just prior to the revolution, many had asked that French Laws be uniform. Where Louis had failed to respond, Napoleon acted. The Napoleonic Code, one of Napoleon’s most important and lasting legacies embodied many principles of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution including the abolishment of feudal dues, the expansion of civil liberties, and religious toleration. Napoleon once declared that “The revolution is frozen” and the code was his way of preserving achievements brought about by the revolution. Another main grievance of those involved in the revolution was the lack of advancement within society. The Bourgeoisie in particular found it difficult to advance their careers due to birth status. Napoleon, upon coming to power, enforced this revolutionary aim of the bourgeoisie. Careers were open to all those with ability, regardless of birth or social status. Napoleon proclaimed in 1816, “Wherever I found talent and courage, I rewarded it”. He backed up this statement by establishing ‘lyceés”. These were secondary...