Conscription In The Roman Empire

The Napoleonic Empire which existed in the early nineteenth century had a large impact upon much of Europe. The Napoleonic regime was undeniably militaristic in nature and the existence of widespread conscription clearly highlights this. In the past historians have often regarded the empire as being purely a military enterprise. For example Georges Lefebvre branded the empire a ‘military dictatorship’. However, as contemporary historians have argued, it cannot be considered to have purely been a military enterprise as it reformed much of Europe. Napoleon introduced new civil codes and reformed the existing administrative systems in order to make them more centralised. Alongside this the empire made changes to the existing financial systems …show more content…
Historians have argued that the empire was a purely militaristic undertaking in the past and this arguably partly true. Conscription existed across Europe under Napoleonic rule which highlights how Napoleon aimed to build a very large army in order to expand the empire. Widespread conscription also highlights how the whole of society became militarised under Napoleonic rule. Furthermore, the growth of the gendarmerie in this period also indicates that conscription was strictly enforced. By 1802 the gendarmerie was four times the size of its pre-revolutionary counterpart . Military schools also experienced a growth in the Napoleonic Empire with new institutions appearing in Holland, Bavaria and Italy. Although there was often resistance to conscription and military life, Stuart Woolf has astutely observed that there is in fact plenty of evidence to suggest that there was a shift away from negative attitudes towards the army . The creation of military schools can be seen to be partially responsible for this shift as members of notable families often felt drawn to romantic ideals of life in the military. It is also important to consider the central role the military played in the Napoleonic system of government. The council of state had a special war section and between 1802 and 1814 the number of employees at the ministry of war rose from five hundred to one thousand five hundred …show more content…
There was much more to it than simply the military elements. The military evidently did play a large role in the expansion and running of the empire. Much of society was militarised during the period by the introduction of widespread conscription. However, this does not mean that the Napoleonic Empire was purely a military enterprise. Although we can never be sure of Napoleon’s original aims for the empire, it is clear that it did create huge changes in many areas. Reforms to administration formed the basis of European political systems for years to come and new civil codes left a lasting mark on the face of Europe. This is most clearly shown by the fact that the 1845 Spanish council of state was built on Napoleon’s model. It can also be argued that the Napoleonic Empire was partly an economic enterprise. This is due to the fact that Napoleon’s economic policies during the period helped manufacturers within the empire grow. The Continental Blockade imposed in 1806 helped many European Businesses flourish due to the lack of British competition. However, this is a problematic argument due to the fact Napoleon’s economic policies came about as a result of the Empire being at war. Despite the issues with the economic argument, overall it is far too simplistic to argue that the Napoleonic Empire was purely a military enterprise. The numerous reforms and introduced by Napoleon speak