At the age of nine, Napoleon Bonaparte was sent to France to train for his military career. Napoleon rose quickly in the ranks during the French revolution. He drove British forces out of the French port of Toulon in December 1793. Bonaparte captured most of northern Italy and continued to defeat the Austrians. Napoleon’s plan to weaken British trade through an Egyptian campaign failed miserably. To prevent word of his defeat spreading, he censored the press. Napoleon’s military success as a general allowed him to overthrow the Directory and establish the Consulate, a three-man governing board. Gradually, he assumed enough power to crown himself the title Emperor of the French. In fact, Napoleon invited the Pope to his crowning, but crowned himself instead. As emperor, he fixed the economy by controlling prices, built new industries, and created roads. To ensure a powerful military and government, Napoleon set up public schools under government watch. Also, …show more content…
As a young boy, the sights of heads falling into the basket scarred me for life. At the beginning, the reign of terror started with King Louis XVI sentenced to death. Later, radicals voted to establish the National Convention. This convention voted to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. The Convention of 1792 created the Committee of Public Safety to deal with threats to France. This twelve-man committee headed the executions. If the committee had information of anyone committing treason, they were sent to the guillotine. Many victims of the guillotine were falsely accused and did not have trials. Maximilien Robespierre, leader of the Committee of Public Safety, strongly advocated for the abolishment of slavery and religious toleration. However, his idea of terror being a crucial part of a republic led to people calling him a tyrant. The Reign of Terror continues to be a dark history of the French