Napoleonic Government and Domestic Reform

Napoleon's domestic reforms were arguably more consequential and more enduring than his military conquests. The Code Napoléon, the reorganisation of education, the creation of the prefectoral system, and the reform of public finances gave France institutions that survived the fall of the Empire and shaped European governance for two centuries. The A-Level question is: were Napoleon's reforms a consolidation of revolutionary achievements or a betrayal of revolutionary principles?

Key Definition: The Code Napoléon (Code civil des Français, 1804) was the comprehensive codification of French civil law. It established legal equality, property rights, and secular authority over marriage and family law, while also reflecting Napoleon's conservative views on women and workers.

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The Authoritarian State

Government Structure Under the Empire (from 1804)