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The coup d'etat was a non-violent overthrow of the French Government. It overthrew the directory because that form of government became corrupt. After this, the people of France substituted the directory with a government called The Consulate. This was a great achievement for Napoleon Bonaparte because he became the first consulate of the new government. This allowed him to be in the position to make substantial changes to the way France works. This was a political achievement for Napoleon.
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In 1800, Napoleon created the National Bank. After the difficulty with clearing the debt during King Louis XVII’s rule, Napoleon wanted to give the people of France confidence in the banking system. He succeeded in this. The bank was also established to foster economic recovery after the financial difficulties France had to go through. This was an economic success for Napoleon.
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Napoleon established lycées, which were secondary schools that prepared students for a degree required to go into university. Through this, he strengthened the enlightenment ideals of liberty and fraternity. He did this by allowing people to use their imagination and reasoning through lycées. This was a social reform that Napoleon implemented.
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The Concordat was an agreement that defined the status of the Roman Catholic Church. It gave Napoleon the right to nominate bishops, and Christianity was tied to the land’s law. Church and state were not separate. This gave the people of France a sense of security and gave Napoleon more power. Therefore, it was a social reform for France.
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During the Napoleonic wars (a series of battles where France was trying to expand their empire), Britain, France, Spain, and the Batavian Republic (the Netherlands) were all forced to sign an agreement. This was called the Peace Treaty of Amiens. This was an agreement that dictated which land the french people had and what the other countries were to do for Napoleon. This was a significant political achievement for Napoleon.
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Napoleon decided to sell France’s Louisiana territory to the USA due to economic problems, the slave revolution in Haiti, and an impending war with Great Britain. This was a substantial economic achievement for France because it gave the country some money to continue its journey to become a great empire.
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The Napoleonic Code was an immense achievement of Napoleon Bonaparte. This was a set of laws that gave all male citizens equal rights. It also made sure that there was no established higher class and lower class. It codified commercial and criminal law as well. This was a major social reform at the time.
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Napoleon bought an invention for weaving in 1804, and this drastically improved the economy of France. The country soon became very competitive in the textile industry. They became a big competition for Britain, which was a powerful country back then. This was a critical economic achievement for Napoleon.
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After Napoleon forced Germany to surrender, the french military went to Vienna and occupied the capital. He then defeated the combined Russian and Austrian armies gallantly at Austerlitz in Moravia. This was an excellent achievement for the military because they beat a big enemy with Napoleon’s help.
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In 1807, Russia and Prussia both signed peace treaties of Tilsit. This agreement would divide all of Europe between Russia and France. This was important for France because it allowed the country to expand their empire. For Napoleon, this was an outstanding political achievement because he got to take control of more countries.
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After France seized Spain, King Charles IV was forced to surrender, and Napoleon made his brother the king of Spain. This was an outstanding achievement because Spain was entirely under the control of France. This was a significant military achievement because they seized Spain very quickly.
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In 1809, the French cleverly defeated Austria and ended the 1809 war against french control of Germany. They attacked before the Austrians could receive backup. Because of this decision, they won the battle. This was a significant military achievement for Napoleon because it showed just how powerful the french army was.
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Napoleon was forced to abdicate the throne and was banished to Elba. This was a critical moment in history because Napoleon’s influence was all over Europe. The people had great respect for him because he was a genius. This is why they did not kill them, and they banished him instead.
