The French Revolution and Napoleon, 1789–1815

Abstract

The French Revolution and Napoleon introduced a new era not only for France but also for Europe and beyond. A considerable part of the message of 1789 and succeeding years had already been announced in the British and American Revolutions, but now it was to come over in complete form and at full blast. The rights of man were now given wider publicity than ever before, as was the vocabulary of modern politics. Admittedly, the rhetoric outweighed the implementation, and there is even a case for saying that the revolution turned full circle, for France in 1815 in many respects resembled the France of 1789. On the other hand, the weight of the past is such that high hopes for immediate and complete reversal of an old order can never be fully realised, and in the space of a few years absolute monarchy and many of its feudal trappings were swept away. Just as the sons of Charles I had found it impossible to make the Stuart restoration complete, so the brothers of Louis XVI discovered enormous obstacles in the path of restoring the inheritance of the Bourbons. While there is some truth in the argument that Napoleon developed tendencies towards centralisation and even the increase of state power that were already implicit under the old regime, they could not be maintained by absolute monarchy. If the myth of the French Revolution has been greater than the thing itself, the myth grew from the happenings of 14 July 1789and their sequel. Before we return to an assessment of the great days, therefore, we must attempt to describe the manner in which they unfolded. As we do this, moreover, we must not forget that they would not have taken place in the way they did had not France been affected by developments beyond its borders. Bearing this wider setting in mind, let us now consider events in France under the following headings: Constitutional Monarchy, 1789–92; Republic and Terror, 1792–4; Thermidor and the Directory, 1795–9. Late in 1799, the opportunity presented itself for Napoleon Bonaparte to assume power as first consul. Before briefly examining his domestic policies, we will look at the French Revolution and Napoleon’s rule in the international context.