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Napoleon was a military general that participated in multiple war victories. His interests included history, law, and mathematics. His strengths as a leader benefitted in planning financial, legal, and military plans. His aspiring attitude made him believe he was destined to be the savior of France (Coffin & Stacey, 494). He favored a republic over a constitutional monarchy. When Napoleon came to power, he immediately consolidated personal power by overthrowing the five-man Directory and created a Republic. Napoleon used his status and power during the Revolution to bring out and surface Revolution ideals and help his people. Napoleon’s role in European history was the savior of the French Revolution due to the fact he accomplished most objectives that the people hoped for. Goals of the French Revolution included overthrowing the old regime of an absolute monarch, write a basic and worthy constitution, and give more rights to the third estate and limit the first and second estates power in the Estates-General. Napoleon was able to grant French citizens natural rights, which was the main purpose of the Revolution, and use this to better society as a whole. For example, he used a plebiscite, vote of the people, to approve a new constitution that gave him power to rule. By getting the consent of the people to rule and to create and pursue certain actions in government, Napoleon used the governed as a ruling mechanism; he didn't ignore them. He created a system of meritocracy (what the people wanted): granting positions to those that deserved them based on qualifications, not just handing out jobs to people of higher social status giving “careers open to talent (Coffin and Stacey, 494).” Finally through his supremacy as French ruler,... ... middle of paper ... ...ary principles to anchor its legitimacy, and Napoleons authority was the guiding source. In other ways Napoleon was also the savior of the French Revolution: he fought wars and won most as an attempt to try and unite Europe under one French Empire. Even though this eventually failed, French nationalism and pride emerged in its aftermath. Napoleons also regulated the economy to control prices, encouraged new industry and build roads and canals, built schools, and abolished privilege, leading towards benefaction towards centralizing the state. In his entirety as a ruler, Napoleon did more to help the French people than to hurt them. For these reasons Napoleon was the savior of the French Revolution: he transformed his power and strength into benefits towards his people, creating and bringing the change France needed during and after the Revolution to help its people.

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