Napoleon’s accession to power meant an authoritarian
dictatorship
Paragraph 1: Agree Political Structure and Concentration of
power
1799 New Constitution
o 1802 Napoleon becomes Consul for life
o Napoleon dominated Council of State, controlled the
legislative agenda and eliminated checks and balances
o Senate were members for life, nominated by First Consul
o Council of State were all members chosen by First Consul
February 1800 - Napolean changed how the 83 departments of
France were administered
o They had wide powers and responsibilities, including
appointing officials who served under them
o First Consul also appointed the mayors and nominated the
members of various councils
o At First Consul Napolean exercised highly centralised
control of the administration of France as well as considerable
powers of patronage
Civil Code 1804 reflected Napoleon’s ideas on authority and
discipline to a large extent
o Reintroduction of slavery in French colonies
o Considerable authority given to male head of household
Unfaithful wives and disobedient children could be
imprisoned
Married women could not own property independent of
their husband
Adultery was grounds for divorcing a wife but for a
woman to divorce her husband, the other woman had to
be brought into the home
Concordat 1801 secured a tax-paying Church obedient to the
state
"Napoleon centralized power in his own person to an extent never before
seen in France, creating an authoritarian state that mirrored and indeed
surpassed the most centralized regimes of the Bourbon monarchy." –
Philip Dwyer
Paragraph 2: Agree Repression, Censorship and Propaganda
Restricted freedom of the press, controlled information flow and
imposed strict censorship
Political opponents and critics were often arrested, such as Jean-
Baptise Louvert
Reinstated elements of hereditary nobility to create a new
aristocracy loyal to him
dictatorship
Paragraph 1: Agree Political Structure and Concentration of
power
1799 New Constitution
o 1802 Napoleon becomes Consul for life
o Napoleon dominated Council of State, controlled the
legislative agenda and eliminated checks and balances
o Senate were members for life, nominated by First Consul
o Council of State were all members chosen by First Consul
February 1800 - Napolean changed how the 83 departments of
France were administered
o They had wide powers and responsibilities, including
appointing officials who served under them
o First Consul also appointed the mayors and nominated the
members of various councils
o At First Consul Napolean exercised highly centralised
control of the administration of France as well as considerable
powers of patronage
Civil Code 1804 reflected Napoleon’s ideas on authority and
discipline to a large extent
o Reintroduction of slavery in French colonies
o Considerable authority given to male head of household
Unfaithful wives and disobedient children could be
imprisoned
Married women could not own property independent of
their husband
Adultery was grounds for divorcing a wife but for a
woman to divorce her husband, the other woman had to
be brought into the home
Concordat 1801 secured a tax-paying Church obedient to the
state
"Napoleon centralized power in his own person to an extent never before
seen in France, creating an authoritarian state that mirrored and indeed
surpassed the most centralized regimes of the Bourbon monarchy." –
Philip Dwyer
Paragraph 2: Agree Repression, Censorship and Propaganda
Restricted freedom of the press, controlled information flow and
imposed strict censorship
Political opponents and critics were often arrested, such as Jean-
Baptise Louvert
Reinstated elements of hereditary nobility to create a new
aristocracy loyal to him
