In 1804 a plebiscite made him emperor. While retaining and extending the legal and educational reforms of the Jacobins, Napoleon replaced the democratic constitution established by the Revolution with a centralized despotism, and by his concordat with Pius VII conciliated the Catholic church. The Code Napoléon remains the basis of French law(Napoleon, 1998). ".
There is no question that the general, turned dictator, turned emperor had power and clout. The rise in France happened because of his ability to lead and conquer. .
WHAT LED TO HIS RISE IN POWER?.
There are several factors that contributed to the rise in power that Napoleon enjoyed in France. It was one of the biggest influences on history before Napoleon came into power was the massive economic crisis that France had suffered. In addition the nation was learning how to operate as a Republic after being ruled by kings for one thousand years before hand. Anytime a country moves to build a new political system after years of having something different, the nation faces some years of fragility and weakness. We are witnessing this today in the former Soviet Union(Napoleon Bonaparte The French Revolution http://www.dzn.com/~laverne/Vote-Top100-Cams.html). It was the same situation with France because they had given up their royal base and moved to become a Republic instead. The change over was brought about by a revolution. King Louis the XVI had just finished ordering the French Parliament to pay off a very large national debt. The commoners were enraged at his actions, which showed that the Parliament really had little authority(Napoleon Bonaparte The French Revolution http://www.dzn.com/~laverne/Vote-Top100-Cams.html). .
The revolution was successful and the nation began to build a Republic government from the ground up. .
The struggle was worth the effort as the French built a stronger state of nation than it had ever had before.
