Napoleon Son of the Revolution
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Son of the Revolution
Napoleon Bonaparte ruled France as First Consul between 1799-1804 and as Emperor between 1804 and 1814-15, through out his rule people called him the Son of the Revolution. He took great advantage of the Revolution since it gave him numerous opportunities that the ancient rgime did not grant. Napoleon's foreign policy was based on war and competition for territory; however, his domestic policy was made from many of the ideas of the revolution.
Napoleon knew that if he were to rule he would have to adapt some of the ideas of the Revolution. "The Revolution provided some background to Napoleon political and constitutional changes" (Lee, p. 19). It cleared away any competitions, parliament and the ancient rgime, which might have affected his rule/coronation. Napoleon also claimed that he was the heir of the Revolution and that he has 'stabilized on the principles which began it' (Lee, p. 18). For example, in his public speeches he would always manage to say the principles of the French Revolution, libert, galit, fraternit...