Which phase of the French Revolution best embodied the ideals of the French Revolution?
Near the end of the eighteenth century, the French Crown was going bankrupt. The treasury was empty and foreign bankers refused to lend them any money. In an act of desperation, King Louis XVI called for a meeting of the three estates. He wanted them to vote to increase taxation and deal with the economic crisis. The first estate was composed of the clergy, the second was composed of the nobility, and the third estate consisted of everyone else. While the third estate represented the most people, its vote was considered equal to the other two estates. The delegates of the third estate refused to meet with this rule, and began convening by without the other two estates. They formed a National Assembly to govern the nation’s affairs. Thus began the French Revolution. Uniting under a motto of “liberty, equality, fraternity!” the French people overthrew the monarchy and established their government. The Revolution is often divided into four phases: The Moderate phase, the Radical phase, the Directory and the Napoleonic era. While each tried to embody the ideals of the revolution, the phase that best embodied the ideals of the French Revolution was the Napoleonic era. The Napoleonic code and the Concordat of 1801 gave liberty and equality to the French people. He turned a France that “had been a medley of proud regions with no national spirit” (p.267 Durant) into a fraternal nation.
One of the main goals of the original National Assembly had been equality for every Frenchmen. A member of the nobility or clergy should not be worth more than any other Frenchman. The Napoleonic government upheld this principle with the Napoleonic code and the Concordat of 1801. Article 8 of the Napoleonic code stated that “Every Frenchman shall enjoy Civil Rights”. The Concordat was an agreement between Napoleon and the Pope which recognized Catholicism as the main religion of France, and repaired the relations that had been destroyed during the revolution. However, the Concordat did not grant special rights or privileges to Catholics. It “affirmed full freedom of worship for all the French, including Protestants and Jews” (p.184 Durant). All citizens of France had the liberty to choose their own religion, and were not pressured into choosing one. Napoleon also made France a safe haven for Jews. In 1806, he invited a hundred and eleven notable rabbis and laymen to Paris to improve the relationship between the people of the Christian and Jewish faiths, and encouraged them to invite others to come to Paris. In 1808, Napoleon “ratified the religious freedoms of the Jews and their full political freedoms” (p.277 Durant).
The Napoleonic Code also gave the French people the liberty to choose the job they wanted. Napoleon changed the way that government positions were chosen. Instead of being based on family backgrounds and aristocratic blood, “[Napoleon] opened all doors to all men, of whatever fortune or pedigree” (p.261 Durant). Jobs would be given to those best capable of performing the task, and they would be promoted based on merit or skill. One example would be Talleyrand, minister of foreign affairs. Napoleon had a very low opinion of his foreign minister; famously calling Talleyrand “ordure in a silk stocking”. Yet, he recognized Talleyrand’s skill and intelligence, saying he was “the most capable minister I ever had”. Napoleon upheld the revolutionary ideal of equality, letting Talleyrand keep his job based on skill alone. Another example is Napoleon’s minister of police, Joseph Fouché. He was an effective chief of police, although Napoleon did not trust him. While he was fired in 1802, Napoleon recognized his skill and gave Fouché his position back in 1804. This did not just affect the highest levels of government. In 1802, Napoleon created the Legion of Honour. It would be “composed of men... who had distinguished themselves in their fields – war, law, religion, science, scholarship, art” (p.270 Durant). All men were eligible to join, but the members would be handpicked by the government. Only those with superior performance in combat would be able to join. This ensured only the best would rise to the top. Georges Cuvier was a biologist who “reached the top of his kind despite being a Protestant in a Catholic Land” (p.325 Durant). Under the Napoleonic government, he was treated equally despite his religion, and gained a membership on the council of State. Cuvier’s skills and talent were recognized. In 1808, Napoleon gave a prize to an English scientist named Humphry Daveys for his electrochemical discoveries, even though he was at war with England at the time (p.322 Durant).
Of all the phases of the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Era was the one that best upheld the ideal of fraternity. The French started to feel a sense of community throughout France, as they all felt inspired and hypnotised by Napoleon’s glorious military victories. By re-implementing conscription, Napoleon changed the way wars were fought. Before, wars were seen as a “sport of princes using mercenaries” (p. 267 Durant). Generals would lead small professional armies, lining them up and exchanging rifle shots. Conscription created larger armies which could simply overwhelm the smaller but better trained ones. But larger armies required more resources, so the entire nation would have to contribute. The French people grew more involved and developed a sense of unity. “The glory of nationalism replaced the pride of dynasties as the tonic of war” (p.267 Durant). Napoleon also created a sense of community within the Grande Armeé itself. He gave each regiment its own colourful standard, which they would carry into battle. “Usually the banner became the visible soul of the regiment” (p.268 Durant). Soldiers would be proud of other members of their regiment and a sense of community developed. Napoleon created a national spirit both at home and abroad by appealing to the French “love of glory.” “La gloire became a national fever generating enthusiastic concord” (p 268 Durant). The French people began had a feeling of fraternity on a national level.
When Napoleon returned from Elba for his Hundred Days, the French threw out King Louis XVIII and welcomed their emperor back with open arms. All the soldiers with him at Waterloo were volunteers who had chosen to join him. The people of France had grown to enjoy their liberty equality and fraternity under Napoleon, and they wanted it back. The Napoleonic Era was the phase that best embodied the ideals of the Revolution. With the implementation of the Napoleonic code and the Concordat of 1801, people had freedom of religion, and they were all treated equally. Nobles, peasants and merchants were all equal to the eyes of the law. The most skilled were rewarded for their efforts, with the creation of institutions like the Legion of Honour. With conscription and Napoleon’s military victories, a feeling of fraternity began to appear in France. Napoleon managed to make France a stable country while still upholding the basic principles of “liberty, equality and fraternity”, truly earning his nickname as the “Son of the Revolution”.
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