How did the Napoleonic Wars affect European culture and politics in the 19th century?
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Napoleon Conquers Netherlands
Napoleon leads a campaign in the Netherlands that leads to France uniting the Netherlands as the Batavian Republic ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
Napoleon Conquers Italy
Napoleon conquers Italy by isolating seperate states ("Napoleon"). -
Military Overthrows New French Republic
Napoleon leads a revolt that ends in the military taking over rule in France; the people react positively ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
Napoleon Takes Over
Napoleon leads a second revolution that ends with him becoming dictator for life (Gascoigne). The people support him because he ends aristocratic privileges, creates a central bank, and forms a civil law code (Vigil). -
Jews Get Equal Rights
Napoleon gives equal rights to Jews, an idea that spreads through the empire ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
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Napoleon Conquers Holy Roman Empire
Countries in Europe launch an offensive against Napoleon. It fails, and all of the German states other than Prussia and Austria are conquered by France ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
End of Feudalism
Napoleon ends the system of feudalism that still exists in central and eastern Europe ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
The Empire Reaches Its Peak
In 1812, the French Empire was at its peak. It prevents its allies from trading with Great Britain, with the goal of starving out the British ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
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A New Hope
As Napoleon retreats across Europe he is repeatedly attacked by enemies. Decimated, he is forced to surrender ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon takes an army of 500,000 to Russia and takes Moscow (Dugdale). However, he is forced to retreat because of the weather ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
Empire Strkes Back
Napoleon escapes imprisonment and takes back France ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
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The Congress of Vienna
When the wars were finally over the leaders of the great nations: Great Britain, Russia, Austria, France and Prussia meet in Vienna to redraw the map of Europe (MacDonald). Although not formally a congress, it was the first time representatives from all these nations had meet face-to-face to arrange treaties (Mayfield). Many changes were made as result of this congress (Mayfield). -
The Congress of Vienna (Cont.)
Another result of the congress meeting was the slave trade in Europe being condemned (Mayfield). -
Return of the Europeans
Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo (Dugdale). He is then exiled to St. Helena, from which he never returns (Dugdale). -
The Congress of Vienna (Cont.)
The German Confederation was created from thirty-eight states in Europe (MacDonald). -
The Congress of Vienna (Cont.)
This meeting of the greatest powers in Europe showed that the warring nations could actually sit down and peacefully delegate (MacDonald). Land was divided and distributed with little conflict (MacDonald). -
The Congress of Vienna (Cont.)
The Holy Roman Empire was officially ended and the Papal States were officially defined and given to the Pope (MacDonald). -
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Effects on the 19th Century
The influence of the Napoleonic Wars on Europe was suprisingly positive in the long term. The ideas that the French Empire had encouraged did not go away ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). The code of civil law, called the Napoleonic Code, remained throughout Europe ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). Ideas of nationalism grew throughout Europe ("War and Social Upheaval"). This led to the creation of modern day Germany and Italy ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
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Effect in 19th Century (continued)
People in Europe took more pride in their culture after the Napoleonic Wars ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). Governments throughout Europe were expected to focus on the rights of individuals instead of the wealth of the aristocrats ("Napoleonic Wars (1789-1816)"). -
Works Cited
