How did the Napoleonic Wars affect European culture and politics in the 19th century?
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Napoleon leads a campaign in the Netherlands that leads to France uniting the Netherlands as the Batavian Republic ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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Napoleon conquers Italy by isolating seperate states ("Napoleon").
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Napoleon leads a revolt that ends in the military taking over rule in France; the people react positively ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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Napoleon leads a second revolution that ends with him becoming dictator for life (Gascoigne). The people support him because he ends aristocratic privileges, creates a central bank, and forms a civil law code (Vigil).
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Napoleon gives equal rights to Jews, an idea that spreads through the empire ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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Countries in Europe launch an offensive against Napoleon. It fails, and all of the German states other than Prussia and Austria are conquered by France ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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Napoleon ends the system of feudalism that still exists in central and eastern Europe ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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In 1812, the French Empire was at its peak. It prevents its allies from trading with Great Britain, with the goal of starving out the British ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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As Napoleon retreats across Europe he is repeatedly attacked by enemies. Decimated, he is forced to surrender ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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Napoleon takes an army of 500,000 to Russia and takes Moscow (Dugdale). However, he is forced to retreat because of the weather ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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Napoleon escapes imprisonment and takes back France ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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When the wars were finally over the leaders of the great nations: Great Britain, Russia, Austria, France and Prussia meet in Vienna to redraw the map of Europe (MacDonald). Although not formally a congress, it was the first time representatives from all these nations had meet face-to-face to arrange treaties (Mayfield). Many changes were made as result of this congress (Mayfield).
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Another result of the congress meeting was the slave trade in Europe being condemned (Mayfield).
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Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo (Dugdale). He is then exiled to St. Helena, from which he never returns (Dugdale).
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The German Confederation was created from thirty-eight states in Europe (MacDonald).
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This meeting of the greatest powers in Europe showed that the warring nations could actually sit down and peacefully delegate (MacDonald). Land was divided and distributed with little conflict (MacDonald).
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The Holy Roman Empire was officially ended and the Papal States were officially defined and given to the Pope (MacDonald).
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The influence of the Napoleonic Wars on Europe was suprisingly positive in the long term. The ideas that the French Empire had encouraged did not go away ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). The code of civil law, called the Napoleonic Code, remained throughout Europe ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). Ideas of nationalism grew throughout Europe ("War and Social Upheaval"). This led to the creation of modern day Germany and Italy ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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People in Europe took more pride in their culture after the Napoleonic Wars ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). Governments throughout Europe were expected to focus on the rights of individuals instead of the wealth of the aristocrats ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)").
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