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Question: How did Napolean gain power!?
what steps did he take to gain power!? What reforms did he take!?
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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The war of the Second Coalition had gone badly for France elsewhere and their gains in Italy under Napoleon in 1796 had largely been reversed by 1799!. The government in Paris was now deeply unpopular and the timing was ripe for another coup!. It was not pleased when Napoleon reappeared suddenly in Paris and staged the Coup de Brumaire10, which saw the Directory abolished!. Napoleon seized power to become joint First Consul alongside two others - Abbe Sieyes and Pierre-Roger Ducos!.

Napoleon was not a man to share power, however and soon he was First Consul alone, having moved the others aside through 'early retirement'!. He began a military campaign to reverse the losses in Italy, suffered while he was absent in Egypt!. This again saw him overcome the hapless Austrians as he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at the battle of Marengo!. Further victories in Germany cemented the end of the Second Coalition and Austria had to accept Napoleon's terms!.

By the year 1801, Napoleon was, within Europe, to all intents and purposes invincible!. The treaty of Amiens in 1802 ended 10 years of war and in a national plebiscite Napoleon was elected First Consul of France for life!.

He now began a series of reforms in France aimed at cementing the ideals of the revolution and healing the large rifts that had polarised French society!. He enshrined in law many of the ideals of equality that had started the revolution and a series of codes were written down as French law (the 'Code Napoleon' is still at the core of French law to this day)!. He allowed people to once again practice Roman Catholicism without fear of persecution, which healed a rift with the Vatican!. New science was embraced by the Bonapartist regime, the metre and the kilogram11 are something we all have to thank (or despise) Napoleon for!. A new system of honours was brought in and Napoleon rewarded the successful people of the country with titles regardless of their background!. However, this practice was hated by the old Jacobin revolutionaries, who viewed it as the creation of a new aristocracy!. Old Royalists and Jacobins alike were not comfortable with Napoleon's government and there were a number of attempts on his life!. This brought out a darker side of his regime: these assassination attempts were used to ruthlessly eliminate his known enemies and a new military police force - the Gendarmerie - emerged!. There was an element of the police state to Napoleon's France but it was markedly more popular than the terrorist regimes of the Jacobins!.

In 1804 Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France12 taking the title Napoleon the 1st and is said to have grabbed the crown out of the Pope's hand and put it on his head himself during his coronation at Notre Dame!. His wife Josephine was proclaimed Empress!.

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Napolean gained power not too long after the french revoloution after he gave the people a free vote when he was the only candidate so it was rigged from the start!.Www@QuestionHome@Com