Question

november 1799: napoleon overthrows the government and declares himself first consul of france
napoleon sworn in as first consul, by auguste couder
in 1796, napoleon bonaparte was a french military leader. early in the revolution, he allied with the revolutionary extremists, the jacobins, who were led by maximilien robespierre and controlled the government until 1794. during that time he was prominent in the military for devising successful battle plans and for his support of the jacobins. after robespierre’s execution, the country fell into civil war. counter - revolutionaries who supported the monarchy attacked the national convention, the group of representatives who ran the government. napoleon was tasked with defending the national convention in paris and was successful by pushing back the rebels. with the trust of the new ruling body, the directory, napoleon was given command of military campaigns in italy, austria, the netherlands, egypt, syria, and other places where french forces fought against enemies led by monarchs who threatened the revolution.
while commanding french troops, general bonaparte gained popularity in france. to many of the french people he was the successful leader who defeated enemies threatening their country and who enriched the french by bringing the riches of other regions home.
while in egypt, napoleon learned that the directory was especially weak and that european enemies were once again threatening france. seeing an opportunity to seize power himself, he organized a coup d’etat, took control of the government and declared himself first consul of france. napoleon wrote a new constitution for france which gave him nearly unlimited control. the constitution was voted on by the people of france and passed 3 million to fewer than 1,500 opposed.

1. how did napoleon gain popularity and power in france?

Explanation:

To determine how Napoleon gained popularity and power in France, we analyze the text:

1. Military Success: He was prominent for successful battle plans and supported the Jacobins. Later, he defended the National Convention in Paris, pushing back royalist rebels, and commanded military campaigns in various regions, defeating enemies threatening France and bringing back riches from conquered areas.
2. Political Maneuvering: After seeing the Directory’s weakness and new threats to France, he organized a coup, took control of the government, declared himself First Consul, and established a new constitution with nearly unlimited control, which was widely approved by the French people (3 million to 1,562 opposed).

Answer:

Napoleon gained popularity and power in France through:

• Military achievements: He devised successful battle plans, defended the National Convention from royalist rebels, and led military campaigns across Europe (e.g., Italy, Austria, Egypt) to defeat enemies threatening France, bringing back riches from conquered regions.
• Political action: When the Directory was weak and France faced new threats, he organized a coup, seized government control, declared himself First Consul, and established a new constitution (approved by most French citizens) that gave him nearly unlimited authority.