Minister of Police reported to Napoleon. Police were spies & were responsible for censorship, prison surveillance, monitoring food prices.
Introduced the Code on Criminal Procedure and the Penal Code. Hard labour, the loss of the right hand and branding were all accepted as punishments.
Legion of Honour rewarded those who had served Napoleon well and shown their loyalty from 1802. Most chosen for military service.
Imperial University controlled and standardised the curriculum in every school in France, and demanded an oath of loyalty from staff.
Concordat won back or retained support of people who opposed or were upset by revolutionary changes.
1802 Organic Articles guaranteed religious toleration to Jews and Protestants.
Code Napoleon published 1804. Restated some legal changes of the 1790s inc. abolition of feudalism and guarantee of civil rights.
Opponents of the regime found it extremely difficult to organise any kind of protest due to the high levels of monitoring and surveillance.
New titles for members of the Imperial Court (Napoleon’s close associates) from 1804. Rewarded with large estates.
Sénatoreries awarded to old members of the Senate who supported Napoleon’s policies. Provided property and a large income.
Relations with the Church declined after 1806 as Napoleon increasingly used it to assert state control.
Many clergy remained royalist, and the Church emerged as an independent force of opposition during the final years of Napoleon’s rule.
Official reports made on all books, plays, lectures and posters appearing in Paris until 1810.
After 1810 publishers had to take out a license and swear an oath of loyalty before they were allowed to print.
Booksellers closely controlled. Could get death sentence if found selling unsuitable material. Some authors and playwrights fled abroad.
Sons of army officers received free education in selective state schools which provided military-based training.
Secondary education restricted to sons of notables (bourgeois / noble property owners). No provision for girls.
Metal coinage introduced to avoid problems of inflation associated with paper money (i.e. the assignats).
Bank of France brought under state control in 1806. Took responsibility for creating a centralised money supply.
In 1810, a system of arbitrary imprisonment without trial (like the letters de cachet) was introduced.
House arrest often imposed on anyone who did not warrant imprisonment, but was deemed a danger to state security.
Local admin based on work of the prefects. One appointed to each department as govt’s ‘eyes and ears’ to report subversive behaviour.
Napoleon appointed Prefects. Usually from military, middle classes and nobility, according to trustworthiness & talent for the job.
Judges appointed by government. Appointments were made for life, but judges were kept under close supervision.
New courts set up, inc. military courts of army officers and magistrates, without a jury. Defendants had no right of appeal.
1801 Concordat with the Catholic Church accepted the Pope as ‘head of the Catholic Church’. Catholicism recognised as ‘religion of the majority’.
Concordat meant Church accepted changes under the revolution. Clergy appointed by the government, paid as civil servants, oath of loyalty to the state.
Central Treasury reorganised 1800. More complete tax register introduced. Collection of taxes improved and monitored by prefects.
Accounting procedures improved and income/expenditure monitored. Taxes on salt, tobacco and alcohol quadrupled which increased treasury finances.
The Code Napoleon rewrote, simplified and clarified French law to establish single set of laws for the whole of France.
Code Napoleon emphasised male rights beyond ownership of property. Included male rights regarding wife and family – could send them to prison.
Church schools expensive, so only the very rich could afford them. Curriculum was less restrictive and less controlled than state schools.
Newspapers, books, plays and artists closely controlled. 73 Parisian newspapers in 1800; 4 in 1801. Each newspaper had a censor from 1809.
Books, plays and the arts were encouraged for propaganda purposes, emphasising and honouring Napoleon’s achievements.
Architects, sculptors and painters commissioned to produce art praising Napoleon's achievements & giving him heroic status.
After 1806 taxes started rising due to increased military expenditure. By 1810 France was in severe debt.
Bad harvest in 1811 sent bread prices soaring, and contributed to growing loss of confidence in Napoleon.
Series of good harvests during the early 1800s helped economy & contributed to financial stability.
Napoleon gained plunder through war, which enabled him to buy foreign grain and keep bread prices stable. War provided employment.
