Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 and died in 1821. He was a French revolutionist who ensured his people lived better lives. His family background and recruitment into the army gave him an insight into what happened in his society. This essay describes his achievements that make him a child of the French Revolution. First, Napoleon realized that the legal structure of France did not meet the threshold for protecting human rights. Therefore, he founded the Napoleonic Code that became the basis of law in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands (Fukuyama 38). This ensured that France had a unified and progressive legal system that respected the need to uphold human rights and promote equality and justice in his country and its colonies. Napoleon claimed that his glory was not in winning battles, but getting France out of oppressive legal systems that denied the right to enjoy its freedoms (Grayson 64). His code was a revolutionary project because it led to the development of a bourgeois society where people were allowed to own property and develop them. He was committed to eradicating feudalism and seeing the Holy Roman Empire unified and this led to the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine that united more than a thousand entities to form 40 states (Dwyer 54). As a result, other countries followed suit, and this led to the formation of the German Confederation that streamlined its entities into states. Napoleon wanted to see all countries in Europe adopt his code, and this was successful when Italy embraced nationalism that became a very influential legal system in most parts of the world.
Napoleon was educated and understood various issues about leadership. He realized that France had a poor economy because of poor leadership, and this is one of the reasons he was motivated to participate in the French revolution (Grayson 82). He transformed the economy of France within a year after he came to power. First, he ensured that all imports were heavily taxed to raise their prices and discourage the local population from buying them; therefore, this encouraged people to invest in businesses that promoted the development of the economy of France (Dwyer 79). In addition, property tax was transformed, and people realized the need to finance national and local projects to get good services from the government. Napoleon ensured that all major roads, railways, and telecommunication networks were improved to facilitate business activities within the country. In addition, French businesses got subsidies from the government and business loans to expand their activities. He reformed the country’s currency and helped in the establishment of the Bank of France that controlled monetary policies. Lastly, he developed a uniformed legal, economic code that regulated commercial activities by reforming weights and measures system, and this facilitated local and international trade in France (Fukuyama 71).
The Jews were discriminated against in France, but Napoleon refused to propagate this practice. He ensured the Jews were allowed to live and enjoy their rights just like civilians without any violation of their freedoms (Dwyer 151). The Jews were forced to wear armbands to differentiate them from the local population. In addition, they were not allowed to apply for jobs in some professions like teaching and nursing. Moreover, they were not allowed to worship in synagogues, and past regimes ensured these people lived in poor housing units. Napoleon ensured that all these practices were abolished and gave the Jews full citizenship. He fostered a cordial relationship between Israel and France to highlight the need to abolish discrimination against the Jews. The Catholic Church had a major impact on French society and controlled most of its political and religious activities, and this hindered the development and spread of other religions (Grayson 119). However, he did not allow this to continue; therefore, he sought assistance in reaching an agreement (the Concordat of 1801) that allowed the Catholic Church to play major roles in France and allow other religions to enjoy their freedoms (Fukuyama 173). In addition, he did not support slavery, and captives were released and given full citizenship; for instance, the Serfs had been imprisoned for a long time and when Napoleon came into power he released them and abolished the slave trade.
Napoleon realized that most poor and middle-class people in France did not access good education. He was lucky his family was rich and this afforded him a good education; however, most of his countrymen did not get a good education because they were poor. Napoleon revolutionized the education system by restarting primary schools in all parts of the country and creating elite secondary learning institutions that targeted the poor population (Grayson 119). He ensured that girls got a good education and abolished any traditional practice that denied women access to education and training. In addition, he expanded teacher training by establishing additional centers for them. This ensured that illiteracy was reduced, and more people were trained in various professions. Napoleon established the University of France to ensure reforms in the education system involved modernization of school curriculums, improved training for teachers, and expansion of need-based learning institutions (Fukuyama 207). Teachers were recruited by the central government to ensure all regions got equal representation to improve the quality of education offered in their learning facilities. He was motivated to revolutionize the education system so that he could get professions to work in his government. In addition, he realized the need to educate his citizens to give them the power to develop France by gaining the right principles. Lastly, the education system was managed by the Catholic Church, and this limited the scope of training given to students; therefore, it was necessary to ensure the state-controlled learning activities to promote uniformity and enable middle-class youths to be military and civil leaders (Dwyer 217).
The European Union derived its origin from Napoleon’s influence in reforming the legal system of France (Fukuyama 213). He was committed to ensuring countries like Poland, Italy and Germany were united and had independent legal systems to promote unity, freedoms, education, and trade within and outside their boundaries. He influenced other European countries to abolish old regimes that promoted capitalism and discrimination in economic, social, and political aspects (Dwyer 241). Napoleon played a significant role in ensuring equality was promoted in European nations, and this fostered their solidarity. He influenced nations like Egypt, Poland, Belgium, and others to establish modern middle-class bureaucracies that promoted equality (Grayson 148). Napoleon Bonaparte did not achieve a perfect society as he had planned. However, his reforms influenced legal, education, economic and political systems in France and other countries outside Europe. He is regarded as the father of modern Europe because of his legacies that continue to influence the lives of current leaders across the globe. Therefore, he is a child of the French Revolution, and his contributions to history cannot be ignored.
Works Cited
Dwyer, Philip. Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2013. Print.
Fukuyama, Francis. The Origins of Political Order: From Pre-Human Times to the French Revolution. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012. Print.
Grayson, Luke. Napoleon Bonaparte: A biography of His Life Illustrated in Art and Accompanied by His Wisdom. New York: Wiley, 2013. Print.