“I saw the crown of France laying on the ground, so I picked it up with my sword.” On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte boldly crowned himself Emperor of France. He wished to show that he was taking power, not being granted it by the church. From 1804 to 1814, then again in 1815 for the Hundred Days, Napoleon ruled. Much controversy evolved during his reign over whether he was advancing or reversing the spirit of the French Revolution. However, Napoleon’s advances to the French Revolution do outweigh his drawbacks. In short, the spirit of the French Revolution was advanced when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France.
As the French Revolution came to an end, its many lasting effects continued to impact France. Although the French Revolution
…show more content…
For example, the Continental System. In 1807, Napoleon signed the Treaty of Tilsit which put into effect a continental blockade on British goods. However, the blockade backfired because Britain’s stronger Navy allowed them to not only beat the blockade, but become a self-sufficient power. This sparked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. In addition, Napoleon showed weakness in his loss against the Spanish during the Peninsula War. His decision to invade Spain backfired when Guerilla Warfare proved Spain’s national strength over France. Moreover, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 also backfired. His 450,000 men came unexpectedly face to face with Russia’s Scorched Earth Policy, which burned crops, slaughtered livestock, and destroyed towns. Essentially, it destroyed anything and everything useful to Napoleon’s troops. During the Moscow Burnings, Napoleon’s remaining troops retreated. He returned to France defeated and with only 40,000 men, losing over 400,000 troops. In 1814, Napoleon was forced to surrender and flee to Elba with Russia, Austria, Prussia, Sweden, Britain, and Spain allied against