Detailed essay plans on 25-mark questions about Napoleon's Rule from the aqa history French Revolution course.
Questions included:
• ‘A talented commander and magnetic personality who was destroyed by his inability to face reality.’ To what extent is this a fair assessment of Napoleon’s...
AQA A-Level History French Revolution:
Napoleon Essay Plans
• ‘A talented commander and magnetic personality who was destroyed by his inability to face
reality.’ To what extent is this a fair assessment of Napoleon’s Hundred Days? (p.2)
• To what extent did French society benefit from Napoleonic rule in the years 1800 to 1808?
(p.5)
• ‘A complete disaster’. Assess the validity of this view of Napoleon’s financial and economic
policies in the Consulate and Empire. (p.12)
• ‘Napoleon established a police state in France in the years 1800-1814’. Assess the validity of
this view. (p.16)
• How important were Napoleon’s social policies in maintaining his control in France in the
years 1799 to 1814? (P.19)
• How important were repression and immoral methods to Napoleon’s consolidation of power
between 1799 and 1804? (P24)
• Personal ambition was more important than revolutionary principles in Napoleon's
consolidation of power in the years 1799 to 1804.’ Assess the validity of this view. (P. 27)
• ‘Napoleon’s downfall was the result of his own weaknesses and mistakes in 1815.’ Assess the
validity of this view. (p.31)
•
, A talented commander and magnetic
personality who was destroyed by his inability
to face reality.’ To what extent is this a fair
assessment of Napoleon’s Hundred Days?
LOA –
• Napoleon as a talented commander with a magentic personality would be a
fair assessment of Napoleon’s Hundred Days due to his ability to win over
monarchists for his army and gain the support of a country he had
previously repressed.
• It is also fair to say that he was destroyed by his inability to face reality as
his over-ambition in taking on Britain and Prussia at once, despite not
having the army to beat them proved that he was in over his head.
• Especially considering the low turn-out for his plebiscite suggested that his
support base was a lot weaker than Napoleon had hoped for.
• However also struggled due to the strength of Europe and their military
armies/tactics - their joint forces were able to defeat N.
Paragraph 1 – Talented commander and magnetic personality
• LOA: Napoleon’s magnetic personality is demonstrated through his ability
to win over his critics to form an army, and his talent as a commander is
shown through his initial military plans.
• 1st March 1815: Napoleon landed on south coast of France with under
1000 men - managed to attract huge following of workers and peasants
as made way northwards through France.
• Before he even reached Lyons, on 9th March: rising broke out in Lyons.
• N so convincing, ppl already turning to his side and against the
monarchy before he even meets them.
,• Gained over 12,000 supporters → shows how convincing he is as a
person.
• 19th March: ‘royal’ army outside Paris defected to N, Marshall Ney (also
supposed to capture N) was won over by him.
• → personality so magnetic he convinces those against him to switch sides.
• In Paris, he spoke so persuasively that the French press (who had been
chastising ‘the scoundrel, Bonaparte’), began referring to him as ‘our
great and beloved Emperor’.
• CP: More due to his promise of peace than convincing personality?
• Won over Murat, Fouche, Carnot - previous military leaders return despite
risk to their careers.
• N’s Imperial Guard’s steadfast loyalty when battle was turning against the
French → mark of N’s ‘spell’ over them.
• CP: Many of his supporters were anti-Bourbon rather than pro-
Napoleon, hence big worker + peasant support base, despite previous
repression of them.
• Unhappy w high taxes, conscription, army officers on half-pay
Talented commander:
• Despite his 300,000 men not matching the combined force of the allies, he
was strategic in his plans.
• Assumed allies would be unable to cooperate - which was very likely
considering their disagreements over the framing of the peace at
Vienna.
• Planned to pick off each in turn and make separate peace deals.
• 16th June: defeated the Prussian at Ligny.
• CP: but made mistake of not following through in his victory, and so
they managed to pull back in good order.
• Defeat of Austro-Prussian army at Austerlitz — ended Austrians’s
participation in the 4th coalition and forced the Russians to retreat.
• Military errors based on Ney’s delay and unforseen Prussian
resistance, original plan involved very smart use of only 300,000 men.
, • So - not his fault or error in judgement, just unlucky?
•
Paragraph 2 – Inability to face reality
• LOA: Napoleon was unable to face reality as despite forming an army very
quickly and using it to his advantage, in continuing with the war, he denied
the truth of how low the numbers the conscription order gave him were,
and how low the voter turnout was in his plebiscite.
• Napoleon offered to negotiate separately w Britain and Austria - to break
up their alliance.
• Both rejected his offer and declared him an outlaw - aligned themselves
with Prussia and Russia against him.
• Thus would be taking on 4 powers aligned together — still goes ahead.
• Only 300,000 men and no chief-of-staff - Berthier (dies).
• Evidence suggests N was ill and worn-down - couldn’t stay on horse so
couldn’t command well.
• No ‘notable’ support base, more concerned with defending their wealth
in case of Bourbon return.
• Plebiscite for the constitution produced low turnout of 22% - Napoleon
didn’t having the backing he needed?
• Underestimated the power of the fourth coalition - outnumbered.
• CP: The Acte Additional shows awareness in need to bolster his
support, especially as such liberal reforms would have been implemented
before if Napoleon really wanted them
Paragraph 3 – Strength of Europe
• LOA: The strength of Europe after twenty years of war, and the results of
the Vienna Congress, was too much for Napoleon to overcome, explaining
his failure of the Hundred Days.
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