What social changes did Napoleon make in France, 1804-15? Flashcards
education details
- 1802, NB replaced the ineffective system of schools set up during the convention, the ecoles centrales, with more centrally controlled lycees
- There would be 45 of these new schools in total
- They were staffed by instructors chosen by NB himself
- The state provided 6400 scholarships to these schools, of which 2400 places were for the sons of soldiers and government officials
- The remaining 4000 places were to be filled by competition from pupils from the best of the remaining secondary schools
- Restricted to the sons of notables
- 1808 the imperial university opened
- It aims was to provide loyal teachers for the state secondary schools
- Total obedience was demanded by the uni from its member teachers, who had to take an oath of loyalty to their superiors
- Lessons were standardised
- What was taught was dictated in accordance with the needs and demands for the government
class distinction and titles details
good for bourgeois
Napoleon liked hierarchies – it gave people something to aspire to and also enabled him to act the patron, conferring rewards at relatively little cost to himself or the state, binding recipients to the regime and its master
Napoleon also developed a system of rewards and honours for loyalty and effective service, both in the military and state
Ordre national de la légion d’honneur rewarded those who had served him well and shown him loyalty
Napoleon as grandmaster of the order and a council of seven “grand officers” administered 15 “cohorts” into which the order was divided. Created five classes ranging from grand eagle to Chevalier (knight)
Recipients were paid with a small annual salary and were given a star of the order bearing the head of NB and motto “honneur et Patrie..
class distinctions and titles strength
Napoleon had promised a society in which careers were ‘open to talents’, where men and women could advance themselves by their own merit – and to a certain extent, this was the case
e.g. General Augereau was the son of a Parisian fruit-seller who rose to become the duc de Castiglione, a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour and Marshal of France
38,000 awards were given( mostly for military service)
59% of titles went to military men & rest to civil service to reward loyal service.
Civilians benefited from the allocation of senatoreries which were grants of large country estates to members of the Senate with annual income of 25,000 francs
the new nobility was only 1/7th the size of the old & was primarily linked to service.
class distinctions and titles weakness
there was a limit to how much those in the lower ranks of society could advance themselves (particularly outside the military), and Napoleon was only really interested in civilians of education and wealth who could serve his empire
granted princely titles to members of his own family e.g his brothers Joseph & Louis & Jerome.
1806 – ducal titles created for senior officials & ‘marshals of france’
imperial decree march 1808 – napoleon founded ‘imperial nobility’ which included counts, barons and knights.
22.5% of those ennobled by him were previously part of the nobility in the A.R & award of the titles became a prop to policy of ralliement-helped ensure strong/loyal support to N.B.
titles often accompanied by gifts of estates & pensions.
provisions were made for titles to become hereditary when a recipient has a significantly large income.
Only 4000 awards of the Legion of Honour went to civilians
class distinctions and titles significance
system of hierarchies and rewards allowed Napoleon to bind recipients to the regime and its master
22.5% of those ennobled by Napoleon were from the Ancien Regime nobility, and the award thus became a prop of ralliement
the award of titles helped ensure that the fates of Napoleon’s supporters were closely linked to his own
Ensured Loyalty to NB as new nobles were paid by him and therefore would remain loyal.
attitudes to women
Napoleon was traditialist in his attitudes to women
Believed that women were destined for marriage
Marriage was for the purpose of acquiring and transmitting property and conceiving and raising children
Limited internet in female education
Deemed primary school sufficient for girls
women strength
Women were granted more control over their own property when they married.
Women were allowed to possess ‘immovable’ goods in her own right
Napoleon introduced the possibility of divorce by mutual consent
women limitations
Divorce law remained unfair.
A husband’s adultery was only considered grounds of divorce if he bought his mistress home, whereas a wife’s adultery could qualify for divorce and could bring a three month gaol sentence
Immovable property, meaning land, was considered topo fart too important for a women to manage or sell without the consent of her husband
Married women were unable to accept an inheritance or legacy without their husband’s authority
they had to pay ⅓ of her income into a joint asset pool to share with her husband
He did not consider the education of gurls to be a priority as NB once said ‘marriage is their destiny’ and therefore they did not need to think and should not be taught to do so.
women significance
NB consolidates his power and did not advance the rights of women
Censorship and propaganda details
newspapers were reduced from 73 to 13.
By 1801, only 4 were allowed to publish.
All newspapers are subject to police supervision.
No papers were allowed to discuss controversial subjects; only official and military news that were issued by Napoleon or his ministers or written himself could be published.
Provincial papers were reduced to one per department in 1810.
The government had their newspaper, Le Moniteur
Publishing houses were reduced from 200 to 60 in 1808.
Publishing houses had to obtain a license from the police.
The police were given powers to search publisher’s shops and seize any books they deemed controversial.
Fines were given out (2000 francs and later raised to 300) for possessing illegal works.
A decree in Jan 1810, introduced a new censorship board to approve or reject books,
Theatres could only operate under licenses and many were forced to shut down.
Official reports were made on all plays, lectures and posters appearing in Paris.
Censorship and propaganda strength
sculptors,architects and artists got off more lighty
Napoleon utilised their talents to project his image through their paintings, monuments and pillars on a grand scale
Artists such as David and Ingres enjoyed employment by Napoleon as state propagandists, depicting him as supreme imperial figure
key figure- Jacques Louis David, French painter who was helped by censorship policies as it allowed him to elevate his status under Napoleon acting as a ‘painter to the government’
he famously painted the imperial coronation
military bulletins were published to help increase moral on the homefront reporting on any achievements
publishing houses had greater control as they sold all books as well as published them.
Censorship and propaganda weekness
1811 all except four of the Parisian papers were suppressed, remainders were subject to police supervision - undermined press available for Parisians (main source of information)
Authors driven into exile for opposing the government, theatres closed down and the ones which remained were restricted to a small repertory of officially sanctioned plays (undermined entertainment)
Over ½ of printing presses in Paris were shut down
Booksellers who were found selling material considered to be ‘subversive’ were strictly punished - potentially even with death
1809, censors were appointed 1810 a regular system of censors was set up
Censorship and propaganda significance
Up to 1810, reports on all books, plays lectures and posters that appeared in Paris were sent almost daily to Napoleon - strengthened his control over any forms of press
Napoleon engineered his own narrative propagating the message of ‘the myth of the saviour’, a man who helped bring order out of chaos, saving France from the excesses of the revolution. Helped Napoleon gain popularity by cementing his image in propaganda
Napoleon highly aware of the French press’ power in undermining his regime - had clear expectations that the press would support his deliverance of propaganda and so reduced their power to the extent that they would have to (editors forced to rely on articles published in ‘Le Moniteur’, written by Napoleon or his ministers)
Legion of honour 1802
Reward those who had served Napoleon well and showed their loyalty to him
but most chosen for their military service
1500 out of 32000 were given to civilian
Napoleon served as the grandmaster of the order
council of seven grand officers adminstated 15 cohorts into which the order was divided
Each comprising 350 legionaries 30 officers 20 commanders and 7 grand officers
5 classes ranging form the grenade eagle (limited membership) to the chevalier (knight)
Received a small annual salary and a state of honour bearing the head of Napoleon and the motto honour et Patrie
38,000 awards were made
Large sash and silver star with an eagle introduced for member in 1805
From 1808 with the establishment of the Napoleonic nobility the awards gave holder the title knight of the empire which was made hereditary after 3 generations of recipients
The imperial nobility
1804 after his coronation Napolana gave princely tiles to his family members
1806 ducal titles were created for senior figures and marshals of france
By the imperial decrees of march1808 Napoleon founded the imperial nobility
Included counts, barons and knights
Numbers of princes increased also
59% of titles went to military men
Rest went to civil servants or to reward loyal service among the notables
22.5% of those ennobled were form the ancien regime nobility so awards of titles become a prop to the policy of ralliement
Award of tiles helped ensure that the fates of Napoleon’s supporters were closely linked to his own
Titles were accompanied by gifts of estates and pensions
Provisions were made for tiles to become hereditary
However this new nobility was not like the old
1/7th of the size of 1789 nobility
Primarily linked to service
If the recipient possessed a large enough annual income the title was made hereditary
3500 titles were granted between 1808 and 1814
code on civil procedure
- 1806
- Standardised court proactive in relation to the civil code
commercial code
- 1807
- Provided guidelines for trade and business including debt and bankruptcy
code on criminal procedure
- 1808
- Maintained the practice of trial by jury
- In special courts juries would be selected by prefects
- Permitted arrest without trial
new penal code
- 1810
- Laid down guidelines for punishment
- Death penalty for murder arson and forgery
- Loss of right hand for parricide before execution
- Hard labour and branding
Established maximum and minimum penalties
