HIS103Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Hereditary Monarchy, French Market, Constitution Of France
God of war
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France maintained its gains
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'Experimental peace'
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1802: revolution is 10 years old
○
Calendar is 10 years old
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Seems like right time to reconsider French constitution
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Napoleon pretends that he wants to return to private life
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'will sacrifice for good of people' --> false humility
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After war: conscious of limits / challenges to his power in France
○
Knows that his leadership could be challenged by others / people
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Active measures (stockpiling grain) to ensure no famine will hurt his rule
▪
Preventative steps to preserve power
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Worried that a famine could cause people to turn against him
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Assassination attempts against him
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Celebration to celebrate discovery of plot against his life
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Put him at center
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Stops celebrating execution of Louis XVI, Storming of Bastille
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Bread and circuses: people have food to eat, and are entertained
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Uses powers of state to throw large parties (for bday for example)
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Very popular
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Once again Catholic
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Establishes Catholicism
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Expanding franchise
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Expanding number and types of men who can vote
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Looks and feels like more political involvement --> next step of revolution
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'they can jabber as they like' --> Napoleon is ultimate ruler, they have no power
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Political
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1804 Napoleonic Code
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France had 42 different legal codes of law
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Revolution itself passed 14k laws and decrees of its own
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Compiled single code of law that could then be administered across all of France as well as
parts of Europe under French influence (Prussia, Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Monaco,
Quebec, Louisiana)
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Legal reform
▪
Stimulate through state intervention
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Tell industry what to build, purchases, protect French market from foreign trade
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Ultimately fails
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France comes nowhere close to the level of industrialization in Britain
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Help France to borrow money, but still paying higher rates than Britain
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Economy never achieves true potential
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Economic reorganization
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Major changes
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In France
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Starts to worry British
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Annex Piedmont (Northern Italy)
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Insists that Switzerland reorganize its internal structures
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Foreign Policy
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Post 1802
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Napoleon
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Insists that Switzerland reorganize its internal structures
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In control of most of Italy, Holland, etc.
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Only interested in making France's conquered lands extensions of France --> maintain borders
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Alexandria (Egypt), Malda
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Said in 1802 they would leave these lands
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Cartoons, hoping next assassination attempt would succeed
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If British wanted to clamp down they could have, Napoleon asked, British refused
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British press starts campaign mocking Napoleon
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Napoleon is concerned that the further he gets from great victories, his power will decline
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'every day weakens the deep impressions of defeats' - Napoleon knows gains and power are linked
to war
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Would have come to an agreement with Britain? Divide world? Britain refuses to negotiate
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Diplomatic strategy: Napoleon's hope that he can convince most of German states that
France will be their champion and to turn them against Prussia and Austria
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Does not control all of HRE, has enough power and strength to remake map of Europe
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Rationalize German states --> dramatic reduction in amount of states, more than half cease to
exist, others grow in size
▪
still facing enormous power in Britain, King George III publicly calls for mobilization of
British militia, asks for more money to face
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Not a declaration of war
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Signal to Napoleon that they don't appreciate his moves to control Europe
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In front of 200 courtiers he walks up to British Ambassador 'so you are determined to go
to war?' 'No', goes to Russian Ambassador: 'they want war.'
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Did not want war in 1803
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Wanted to digest gains in Europe
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Continue practicing influence / control in areas he had not achieved
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Nothing in the peace for Britain
▪
Surround continent with ships to try to limit trade to France
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Capture territory in the Caribbean
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France invades Hanover
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Cuts down trees in Hanover to build lumber, built ships and invade Britain
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5 camps on coast of France along English Channel filled with most of French army, horses, artillery
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Invasion plan was 2600 pages long
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'I wasn't really going to invade'
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Designed metal to be awarded to soldiers that had crossed Channel
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Build watchtowers
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Channel itself in quite narrow, unpredictable weather
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Strength of British fleet --> no invasion force could easily make it across
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Training army to invade Britain
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French prepare
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Not in Europe
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Other powers are not engaged
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Pitt goes about trying to build 3rd Coalition so that Britain doesn't have to face France on its
own
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War between 1803
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'Air is full of daggers' --> assassination attempts continue
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His changes, changes of revolution could be undone
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Napoleon is urged to develop a new institution to create continuity in leadership to reduce
uncertainty of his assassination
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Imperial crown: revolution needed hereditary emperor
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Emperor crowned Emperor of France at the end of 1804
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King of Italy 1805
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If Napoleon is killed, what next??
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Evolution of Napoleon's power
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May 1803: Britain declares war
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King of Italy 1805
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'my continental system has been decided, it is France and Italy'
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Goes on to create more institutions that allow him to build up his own power
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Link people's fortunes with him personally
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Honorary positions
Prestigious
Owe Napoleon on personal levels
'Marshal Baton' - finely crafted
Inspiration to others: way of rewarding those who served Napoleon and encouraging
his soldiers in his army to aspire to his recognition
'every common soldier carried a Marshal's Baton in his knapsack'
Appeal to common Frenchmen
Other meritocracies in which people of any class could win distinction if they served
the empire
Marshal of Empire: 14 Generals appointed
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Personal gifts 'Eagle Standard'
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Stopping to talk to centuries, putting cloak on wounded soldiers
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Cult of personality
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Following among Frenchmen
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People wanted to fight for Napoleon
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Open up possibility for invasion
▪
Now with French squadron lose in the Atlantic, it will soon be possible to invade
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Convince Austrians to join 3rd Coalition
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Mad about annexing of Italy
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Alliances with German states in Europe
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Austrian army begins to mobilize
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British concerns: money in hopes of buying coalition allies
▪
'Anyone would have to be completely mad to make war on me, no finer army in Europe
than mine'
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Marches across France and on to Vienna
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Fights Austrians as far East in Austria as possible, in case Russians join war, he can fight
them in Austria rather than farther in France
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Austrians invade Bavaria (take Ulm) - do not wait for Russians (allies) to catch-up, moved
too far West, can't support each other, over-extended
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Napoleon's enormous army surrounds them and defeats them
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Napoleon takes Vienna
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Knows that leftover Austrian forces and now Russian army will come and seek battle with
him
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Napoleon seeks decisive battle --> does not want to simply hold conquered land, but
destroy attackers
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Finds a point where it would be good to defend against approaching army, instead moves
farther West and sets up a trap
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Sends letters that are intercepted saying he feels weak, instructs army to stage retreats to
inspire overconfidence in approaching army, Austro-Russian army is led into trap at
Austerlitz and completely destroyed
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No diplomatic effort to turn Austrians into French allies
Thinks it will never be possible
Can subdue enemies, but not reconcile with them
Ends war of 3rd Coalition
Annual pension for wives and employment for sons of soldiers who died at
Austerlitz --> Frenchmen know the empire will take care of them
Next day, Austrian leader meets with Napoleon and asks for peace - Napoleon agrees
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Napoleon decides to fight Austrians rather than try to fight both Austrians and British at the same
time (2 fronts)
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Escape blockage to Gibraltar
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Battle of Trafalgar 1805
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Document Summary
Seems like right time to reconsider french constitution. Napoleon pretends that he wants to return to private life. "will sacrifice for good of people" --> false humility. After war: conscious of limits / challenges to his power in france. Knows that his leadership could be challenged by others / people. Worried that a famine could cause people to turn against him. Active measures (stockpiling grain) to ensure no famine will hurt his rule. Uses powers of state to throw large parties (for bday for example) Celebration to celebrate discovery of plot against his life. Stops celebrating execution of louis xvi, storming of bastille. Bread and circuses: people have food to eat, and are entertained. Expanding number and types of men who can vote. Looks and feels like more political involvement --> next step of revolution. "they can jabber as they like" --> napoleon is ultimate ruler, they have no power. France had 42 different legal codes of law.
