Napoleon and the Restoration Era
The Napoleonic Era
Napoleon Bonaparte implemented a new political system, merging revolutionary ideals with an authoritarian personal style. He declared himself Emperor and attempted to establish a new dynasty across several European nations. His achievements included:
- Creating institutions like the Bank of France
- Imposing a single currency (the Franc)
- Unifying legislation with the Civil Code
- Establishing a professional, government-controlled administration
- Reforming public education
- Signing the Concordat of 1801 with the Catholic Church
- Spreading revolutionary ideas and achievements throughout Europe
The Restoration (1815-1848)
Following Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, victorious nations initiated the Restoration, aiming to reinstate the pre-revolutionary order. Key features of this period include:
- A conservative, counter-revolutionary ideology emphasizing tradition, authority, and religion over reason, liberty, and change, championed by Edmund Burke.
- A significant redrawing of the European map at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815). Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia applied four principles: legitimacy, international responsibility, balance of power, and the right to intervention.
Key Terms and Concepts
Old Regime: The term used by French revolutionaries to describe the pre-revolutionary socio-political system in France and other European monarchies.
Demographic Cycles: Periods where population variables remain relatively stable within a defined group.
Birth Rate: The ratio of births to the total population within a specific period.
Mortality Rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants per year.
Fallow: Land left unplanted for one or more vegetative cycles to restore organic matter and moisture.
Stubble: Plant remains left on the field after harvesting.
Manufactures: The transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale.
Capitalism: An economic system where individuals and businesses produce and exchange goods and services through market transactions and pricing.
Estates: Social strata defined by a common lifestyle, reflecting the feudal social divisions.
Privileges: Permissions or rights granted by a person or government.
Vegetative Growth: Population increase when births exceed deaths.
Famine: Widespread hunger due to food shortages.
Regalism: The practice of absolute monarchs asserting authority over the church within their kingdom.
Open-Field Agriculture: A system dividing land into sections, leaving one fallow.
Papal States: Territories in northwestern Italy under papal control.
Parliamentarism: A political system where a representative assembly (parliament) can remove a government through a vote.
Middle East: A geographical area including Arabia, Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia.
Enlightenment: An influential intellectual and cultural movement of the 18th century emphasizing reason and individualism.
Enlightened Despotism: A form of government where absolute monarchs pursued legal, social, and economic reforms inspired by Enlightenment ideals.
Physiocracy: An 18th-century economic theory advocating minimal government intervention in the economy.
Mercantilism: An economic doctrine prevalent in Europe emphasizing precious metals as the primary source of wealth and national power.
Tax: Mandatory contributions to the state to finance public services.
Life Term (Vitalicio): A position held for life.
Jury: A group of citizens determining the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Tennis Court Oath: An oath taken by representatives of the Third Estate, vowing to remain assembled until France had a constitution.
Census Suffrage: Voting rights restricted to those listed in a census.
Universal Male Suffrage: Voting rights for all men.
Referendum: A public vote on a significant decision or law.
Coup d’état: A sudden, violent seizure of government power, often by military forces.