1. Napoleon Sizes Power (Cont.)
1797 A.D. – Napoleon loses several battles against the British in Egypt
Abandoned his army and suppressed news of his defeats in Egypt while making it safely back to France
The Directory lost power in France and was afraid of mob violence since taxes had soared again
They Told Napoleon to protect the palace where the Directory was meeting – Napoleon took his soldiers to surround the palace and forced the Directory to surrender (coup d’ etat)
1799 A.D. – Napoleon takes power in France – named himself First Consul of France (there were 2 others)
Consul idea was taken from the consuls who led the Roman Republic (2 – elected)
Everyone knew which consul had the real power (Napoleon)
Napoleon defeats British, Russians, Austrians who join forces against him – they formed an alliance because they feared a dictator had taken the place of the rightful ruler of France (king)

2. Napoleon Rules France Napoleon set up:
Napoleon established a 3-man consulate – Napoleon himself has the most power out of all three
There was an election of the consuls – pretty much rigged to favor Napoleon and give his rise to power legitimacy
Napoleon set up:
First Central bank
Tax collection system
Lycées— Government-run public schools
Standardized education and strict policies
Outperformed other European countries for awhile – if you leave one school in France and go to another, chances are the other school will be covering the same thing at more or less the same time
Other European schools will implement standardization of education
Napoleonic Code— System of Laws
All of France must follow this one set of laws (code) – Similar to Justinian’s Code from the Byzantine Empire
1804 A.D. - Napoleon made himself emperor of France

3. Napoleon Crowned Emperor

5. The Invasion of Russia
While Emperor, Napoleon had begun a campaign of conquering most of Continental Europe and set up a blockade to stop the English, his enemies, from stopping his expansion in the subcontinent
Relations with Russia, a former ally, break down – It did not want to give up Poland, since it had claims dating back to Catherine the Great’s time, to Napoleon and it was still trading with England (which was Napoleon’s enemy) – So Napoleon decided to attack Russia
June 1812 – French army marched into Russia with 420,000 men – Napoleon’s strategy – overwhelm with numbers
Biggest army amassed in Europe since that time
Russians used scorched-earth policy— Destroyed supplies so French can’t use them
No supplies + terrible winter = Napoleon retreating, losing thousands of soldiers to raids, cold weather, starvation, disease – only about 20,000 made it out

6. Scorched Earth Policy

7. Napoleon’s Downfall
Britain, Prussia, Sweden, Russia, Austria join forces against Napoleon – 4th Coalition
Napoleon raises another army, but meets quick defeat by allied powers
Napoleon had used a lot of resources, money, soldiers, etc. – difficult to match the combined strength of the 4th Coalition
Napoleon surrendered and is exiled to island of Elba
Louis XVIII, new king, was crowned king of France by the 4th Coalition
Soon overthrown by Napoleon when he Returned from exile for a while - known as the Hundred Days
Hundred Days Napoleon was in power in France again
Battle of Waterloo—British, Prussian forces defeat Napoleon’s army
This defeat ends Hundred Days—Napoleon’s last attempt at power

8. Napoleon’s Death – Poisoning or Cancer?

9. Aftermath
European rulers wanted to establish long-lasting peace and stability in Europe after Napoleon’s reign/conquests
Representatives of European countries gathered in the Congress of Vienna (Vienna, Austria) and resized major European powers – established a balance of power between them which had been broken by Napoleon
Klaus von Metternich, a diplomat from Austria, worked to constrain France to its original borders – took away its territories and restored the rightful kings/queens to their thrones (legitimacy)
Promoted balance of power between the countries; made sure it would be more difficult for nations to overpower each other by creating a series of alliances
Successfully reserved peace for the next 40 years until the Crimean War (between England, France, and Russia)