Napoleon Bonaparte and Is Modern State free essay sample

Bonaparte instituted lasting reforms that mark the transition from absolute government to the modern state. One of Napoleons greatest contributions was the codification of French law and especially the great Civil Code that replaced the 360 local codes of the Ancient Regime. It was a combination of the egalitarianism of the Revolution and the authoritarianism of Napoleon. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs go to the most qualified. It was, however, the first modern legal code to be adopted with a pan-European scope and it strongly influenced the law of many of the countries formed during and after the Napoleonic Wars. The Code was a major step in replacing the previous patchwork of feudal laws. The old paternal authority within the family was restored, for instance, while womens rights were strictly limited Napoleon once remarked that â€Å"women should stick to knitting. We will write a custom essay sample on Napoleon Bonaparte and Is Modern State or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, the achievements of the Revolution were continued with guarantees of equality, property rights and the rights of the citizen won in 1789. Published in a small compact edition in 1810, it became a model for legal rationalisation in many other states of Europe. One feature which was greatly to affect the future of France was the insistence on equal division of estates between sons. Napoleon also had to shape public opinion this was accomplished by crude forms of propaganda, but more importantly by the use of secret agents, arbitrary arrests, and executions. Like all dictators we think of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin Napoleon relied on public opinion to prevent hostile criticism. In other words, dissent was nearly impossible. Printers and booksellers swore oaths of allegiance and all newspapers fell under state control. So, by repressing liberty, subverting republicanism and restoring absolutism, Napoleon reversed some of the liberal gains of the Revolution. He favored equality before the law and careers open to talent BUT he believed that political liberty threatened the efficiency of the state with anarchy.He would govern in the interests of the people as an enlightened but absolute ruler. In addition Napoleon favored a state system of public education. The curriculum would be secular and schools would be managed under the direction of the state and not the Church. For Napoleon, education would serve a dual role. State funded education would provide him with capable officials necessary to administer his laws and trained officers to man his army.The young would also be indoctrinated to obedience and authority. Napoleon established the University of France a giant board of education that placed education under state control. To this day, little has changed education is strictly centralized with curriculum and academic standards set for the entire nation. Women, of course, were excluded. Marriage is their whole destination, Napoleon once wrote. Women did not need education, all they needed was religion.I will conclude by saying that his drive, will, military genius and charisma made him a great man, a world historical figure, a man who made history. Machiavelli would have found Napoleon to be his perfect prince ; And , by spreading revolutionary ideals and institutions, Napoleon made it impossible for the restoration of the ancient regime. After Napoleon there was no turning back: feudalism was dead, society was secularized, the modern nation state replaced the dynastic state, and the bourgeoisie became the new class of privilege and status.