Reforms in Law:
In 1804, Napoleon took on the legal system of France. The system of laws was in a state of chaos. Laws were not codified and were based on Roman law, ancient custom or monarchial paternalism. During the revolution, many laws were changed. It was difficult to determine what law applied in any given situation, and laws were not equally applied to everyone.
The mishmash of laws were codified and written clearly so that the people could determine what law applied. It incorporated much of the Roman law. For the first time in history, the law was based on reason and founded on the notion that all men were equal before the law. It guaranteed individual rights (except for women and blacks) and the security of property. In short it codified many of the ideals of the revolution. The Napoleonic Code became profoundly influential to other European countries in the 19th century.
Reforms in Government:
Napoleon centralized the government, putting control firmly in the hands of the national government. It became more efficient. Advancement in the civil service and the military was based on merit rather than rank. The tax system was applied equally to all.
Reforms in Education:
Napoleon built many new lycees, schools for boys age 10 to 16. He recognized the importance of education in producing citizens capable of filling positions in his bureaucracy and military. Although he did not create a system of mass education, education was more available to the middle class than it ever had been before. At a meeting in 1807 he declared:
Of all our institutions public education is the most important. Everything depends on it, the present and the future. It is essential that the morals and political ideas of the generation which is now growing up should no longer be dependent upon the news of the day or the circumstances of the moment. Above all we must secure unity: we must be able to cast a whole generation in the same mould.
He saw education as a way of indoctrinating "right-thinking" citizens from an early age. He didn't see the need to educate girls, since they could learn everything they needed from their mothers. They were not to be active citizens.
2006-10-19 16:11:39
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answer #1
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answered by raj 7
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Over the course of little more than a decade, the armies of France under his command fought almost every European power, often simultaneously, and acquired control of most of continental Europe by conquest or alliance.
Emperor Napoleon proved to be an excellent civil administrator. One of his greatest achievements was his supervision of the revision and collection of French law into codes. The new law codes—seven in number—incorporated some of the freedoms gained by the people of France during the French revolution, including religious toleration and the abolition of serfdom. The most famous of the codes, the Code Napoleon or Code Civil, still forms the basis of French civil law. Napoleon also centralized France's government by appointing prefects to administer regions called departments, into which France was divided.
In France, Napoleon is seen by some as having ended lawlessness and disorder, and the wars he fought as having served to export the Revolution to the rest of Europe. The movements of national unification and the rise of the nation state, notably in Italy and Germany, may have been precipitated by the Napoleonic rule of those areas.
In mathematics Napoleon is traditionally given credit for discovering and proving "Napoleon's theorem" that states that if equilateral triangles are constructed on the sides of any triangle (all outward or all inward), the centres of those equilateral triangles themselves form an equilateral triangle.
Contrary to popular belief, at 5 ft 6 Napoleon was actually slightly taller than an average Frenchman of the 19th century. He seemed shorter because he surrounded himself with the soldiers of his elite guard, who were always six feet tall or taller.
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, has become a worldwide cultural icon symbolizing strength, genius, and political solidity. Since his death, countless towns, streets, ships, and even cartoon characters have been named after him.
His campaigns are studied at military academies all over the world and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest commanders ever to have lived.
2006-10-19 23:50:36
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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THE CIVIL CODE.
trust me, i have this mock trial thing too, due tomorrow.
the civil code is his greatest achievement, by far.
what is your part in the mock trial?
2006-10-19 23:13:11
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answer #3
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answered by Ophelia 2
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type in his name and the Internet will give you the best answers any where.
He was quite the conquerer. He crowned himself king. Does that tell you a little about his character - he was one, a real one.
Waterloo is another look-up word.
2006-10-19 23:21:30
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answer #4
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answered by MotherNature 4
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He conquered most of Europe... That sounds like a great achievement.
2006-10-19 23:10:21
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answer #5
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answered by Patrick Fisher 3
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he got rid of Marie Antoinette
2006-10-19 23:12:41
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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He was sweet to ladies.
2006-10-19 23:19:05
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answer #7
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answered by dodadz 4
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his small stature
2006-10-19 23:09:53
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answer #8
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answered by effin' h!lar!ous 3
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taming a wild a honeymoon stallion duh.
2006-10-19 23:13:38
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answer #9
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answered by jokedrugs 4
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