French Revolution and Napoleon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

French Revolution and Napoleon - Essay Example The first and most important way in which he differed from the revolutionaries was that his idea of civil liberties was quite different from the ideals supported by them. He imposed strict controls over the press, used spying tactics on his own people to look for enemies within and even though he had made a civil code, he arrested people without having real causes and sent his enemies to jail without bringing proper charges or having trials (Spielvogel, 2005). In this manner, his actions were closer to the monarchical system than revolutionary equality. This violation of rights continued as he revoked the Declaration of the Rights of Man and established a system of hereditary privilege which would essentially bring back monarchy to the country and its various principalities. The brothers of Napoleon were made the rulers of areas such as Spain, Holland, Warsaw, and Switzerland. His best generals were given hereditary titles which made them immediate members of the nobility in France (Spielvogel, 2005). This was certainly a departure from the ideals of the revolution but Napoleon could do it because he was a dictator and he remained popular. In terms of religion, while the revolutionaries sought to break away from religion in all possible ways including changing the calendar and the number of days in a week, Napoleon saw no such need for removing the presence of the church from France. He made deals with the Catholic Church which allowed him to consolidate his power and give some concessions to the church at the same time. Of course, he did not snatch the land from the bourgeoisie to give back to the church but he did establish a system under which priests became government servants so they could receive a stipend from the national treasury to support their activities (Spielvogel, 2005). Â