Social Change

Question 1

What did Napoleon’s society aim to achieve? How did this link to enlightement principles? - Social Change

Answer 1

Napoelon aimed to create a society in which anyone could advance themselves through their own merit rather than being in a fixed social position without social mobility. This aimed to prevent the Ancien Regime system of privilege by birth from prospering and allow people to aspire to careers that may not correspond to the class that they were born into.

Question 2

What example is there of an individual advancing their social status under Napoleon? - Social Change

Answer 2

General Augerau was born the son of a Parisian fruit seller. He rose to become a member of the imperial nobility, inducted into the Legion of Honour and a Marshal of France.

Question 3

What was the purpose of Napoleon’s system of titles and social honours? How was it limited in terms of its compliance with enlightenment principles? - Social Change

Answer 3

Napoleon’s system of social honours and hierarchy aimed to allow him to confer rewards and priviliges to supporters in order to bind people to his regime and encourage absolute loyalty to him. However, this system largely only rewarded civilians of education and wealth who could serve the Empire instead of being expanded to the entirety of society.

Question 4

When did Napoleon establish the Legion of Honour? What was this? What did people recieve as part of this? - Social Change

Answer 4

The Legion of Honour was established in 1802, intending to utilise this to reward those who had been loyal to him and his regime. This was a system of titles and social privileges afforded to individuals, with those introdcued into it recieving a salary, a ‘star of the order’ bearing Napoleon’s head, a sash and a star adorned with an eagle.

Question 5

How many awards were made as part of the Legion of Honour? How many of these went to civilians? Which group recieved the most patronage from this? - Social Change

Answer 5

32,000 awards were granted as part of the Legion of Honour, with only 1500 going to civilians. The majority of these were awarded to military members.

Question 6

When did Napoleon begin to grant titles as part of the Imperial Nobility? Who were these titles granted to? - Social Change

Answer 6

Napoleon began to grant titles as part of the Imperial Nobility in 1804. These titles were initially granted to family members (with his brothers granted princely titles), while senior figures in the state, church, local administration and military later recieved these titles.

Question 7

What % of Imperial Nobility titles went to military men? What % went to Ancien Regime nobility? - Social Change

Answer 7

59% of Imperial Nobility titles went to military men, while 22.5% went to Ancien Regime nobles.

Question 8

What were the Marshals of France? - Social Change

Answer 8

The Marshals of France were the 18 outstanding military individuals in Imperial France.

Question 9

What was the size of the Imperial Nobility in relation to the Ancien Regime nobility? How was the awarding of titles different from the Anicen Regime? - Social Change

Answer 9

The new nobility was 1/7 of the size of the Ancien Regime nobility. Titles as part of the Imperial Nobility were awarded as a result of service and value to Napoleon’s regime rater than due to birth or social status as took place under the Ancien Regime.

Question 10

What reforms did Napoleon introduce to primary education? - Social Change

Answer 10

Napoleon introuduced a state primary school in each commune, run by the local municipality. He was also willing to allow church and other private educational offerings on top of this.

Question 11

What were Napoleon’s lycees? What did they offer? - Social Change

Answer 11

Napoleon’s lycees were elitist schools made available to those who successfully passed a scholarship education. These offered education to prepare individuals for government, civil and military careers.

Question 12

What education was offered to military students at lycees? What education was offered to civil students at lycees? - Social Change

Answer 12

Military: mathematics, physics, chemistry, military matters taught.
Civil: languages, rhetoric, philosophy taught.

Question 13

What condition was placed upon private and church education for them to be permitted to offer education? What aim of Napoleonic education does this link to? - Social Change

Answer 13

Private and church education was permitted to exist alongside secular education so long as they taught the virtues of obedience and loyalty to Napoleon’s regime.

Question 14

What % of lycee places went to the sons of soldiers and civil servants under Napoleon? What does this suggest about this branch of education? - Social Change

Answer 14

40% of lycee places went to sons of soldiers and civil servants under Napoleon. This suggests that the most prestigious branch of education under Napoleon’s regime was highly elitist and largely reserved for those who already served the Emperor.

Question 15

What secondary education offerings other than lycees were created under Napoleon? What were these? - Social Change

Answer 15

Colleges: municipal secondary schools
Instituts: secondary schools which focussed on a vocational secondary education

Question 16

When was the Imperial University established? What were roles of this institution? - Social Change

Answer 16

The Imperial University was established in 1808. This was responsible for teacher training, the setting up of new schools, controlling the curriculum and inspecting schools.

Question 17

What were potential purposes of education under Napoleon? - Social Change

Answer 17

Creating an educated elite that could provide skill and value to his empire, instilling loyalty and patriotism within the population, providing for the future of France and the Empire and rewarding his ‘notables’ with positions in prestigious education for their children.

Question 18

What did Napoleon personally believe to be the role of women in France? What educational consequences did Napoleon’s attitudes have for women? - Social Change

Answer 18

Women were destined for marriage and childbirth according to Napoleon, with marriage also having the purpose of transmitting property. As such, Napoleon decided to offer minimal education for women, believing that primary education would be sufficient for this.

Question 19

What positive and negative impacts did the Civil Code have for women? - Social Change

Answer 19

Positive: women were granted marginally improved rights over property, granted increased access to divorce through divorce by mutual consent.
Negative: married women unable to accept inheritance without permission of husband, had to share profits from sold property with husband, could not own land.

Question 20

What had the number of Parisian newspapers been cut from-to by January 1800? How many by 1801? - Social Change

Answer 20

Napoleon reduced the number of Parisian newspapers from 73 to 13 by January 1800, later cutting this to only 4 by 1801.

Question 21

When did censors begin to be appointed to individual newspapers under Napoleon? What topics could/could not be discussed as part of this? - Social Change

Answer 21

Censors began to be appointed to individual newspapers from 1809. No papers were allowed to discuss controversial topics, and were only allowed to publish official news sanstioned by ministers and military bulletins written by Napoleon himself.

Question 22

When was a censorship board set up under Napoleon to reject or approve books for publication? - Social Change

Answer 22

A censorship board was set up in 1810 to approve or reject books for publication.

Question 23

How did Napoleon’s use of propaganda and images differ from earlier in the revolutionary period? - Social Change

Answer 23

Napoleon utilised propaganda in order to personally glorify himself and represent himself as bringing order and stability, whereas previous revolutionary art/propaganda/images had been oriented towards representing abstract concepts such as liberty, equality and fraternity.

Question 24

What propaganda did Napoleon commission to glorify himself? - Social Change

Answer 24

Napoleon used art, sculptures and writing to honour his achievements and represent his glory. This included David’s painting of Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor, as well as ‘The Distribution of the Eagle Standards.’

Question 25

How did Napoleon use architecture and rebuilding to glorify his regime? - Social Change

Answer 25

Napoleon commissioned necessary public works such as roads, markets and water supplies to improve French infrastructure, as well as great structures such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Arc du Carousel and the Temple of Glory to demonstrate the excellence of the Napoleonic regime.

Question 26

What positives would reconciliation with the Church have for Napoleon’s regime? - Social Change

Answer 26

Reconciliation with the church would aid Napoleon’s policies of amalgame and ralliement and unify the country behind his regime. Furthermore, it would provide another means of control for Napoleon, as priests would be able to preach obedience and loyalty to him and create social order.

Question 27

When did Napoleon decree that churches could open on any day and that Sunday should become a day of rest respectively? - Social Change

Answer 27

December 1799 - decreed that churches could open on any day

July 1800 - Sunday returned to become a day of rest

Question 28

When was Napoleon’s Concordat signed with the Pope? What did this agree? - Social Change

Answer 28

Napoleon’s Concordat was signed with the Pope on the 15th July 1801. This ensured that the Pope was recognised as the head of the church, the Pope recognised the new French regime, there were assurances offered over ex-church lands, Napoleon continued to nominate clergy, Catholic worship became freely available.

Question 29

When were the Organic Articles published by Napoleon? What did these agree? - Social Change

Answer 29

The ‘Organic Articles’ were published in April 1802, with these agreeing that government approval was needed before any Papal legate entered France or any document was published there

Question 30

What was significant about the publication of the Organic Articles? - Social Change

Answer 30

The ‘Organic Articles’ were published without consultation with the Pope, hence undermining the relationship between the Emperor and the Pope.

Question 31

What impact did the Organic Articles have on religious minorities? - Social Change

Answer 31

The Organic Articles ensured that religious toleration would be granted to France’s 700,000 Protestants and 40,000 Jews.

Question 32

Why was the Concordat of 1801 so successful for Napoleon? - Social Change

Answer 32

The Concordat helped to align conservatives and royalists to Napoleon’s regime where they may have been uncertain, while the bourgeoisie were also assured of their ownership of biens nationaux. Furthermore, it provided Napoleon with an opportunity to control the messages of the Church with his propaganda and allowed him to appoint clergy.

Question 33

How did the official catechism damage Napoleon’s relationship with the Pope? When was this? - Social Change

Answer 33

The official catechism stated that Napoleon was the agent of God’s power and suggested that the population should have feelings of duty, love, respect, obedience and loyalty towards him. Issued in 1806.

Question 34

When did French troops occupy Rome? When did Napoleon imprison the Pope? - Social Change

Answer 34

French troops occupied Rome in 1808, later imprisoning the Pope in 1809.

Question 35

When was the Concordat of Fontainebleau signed? What did this agree? Why was it limited in impact? - Social Change

Answer 35

The Concordat of Fontainebleau was signed in January 1813, with this agreeing that the Emperor would control appointments of archbishops across the Empire and in the Kingdom of Italy. It also proposed the Pope resided in Paris. However, it was never enforced.