While learning about Napoleon, I’ve learned that multiple people have very different opinions on Napoleon. Some people think he was an amazing ruler, and others think he was, well, just not a nice dude. After tons of research, I’ve figured out one thing; no one can decide if he was good or bad. One site I looked at said he was a great ruler whilst another said he was a sexist little oaf. So, I decided to weigh the pros and cons of all that he did, and I’ll let you draw up your own conclusion.
While Napoleon was in power, he limited woman’s rights to nearly nothing. He did however, greatly improve schools and activated the code napoleon which was created in 1804. the Napoleon code stated that all people were declared equal before the law (this meant that there were no special privileges for rich people, churchmen, or nobles). pretty good right? well, that law only regarded the white males of the population. that’s right, if you were coloured or female, you get nothing. Along with this rule, the code also stated the feudal rights are at an end and trial by jury was garenteed (however napoleons secret police didn’t have to apply by this rule.) Religious freedom was also garenteed. But here’s where it gets sort of weird. not only were parents given power over their kids, fathers, and only fathers, could imprison their children for up to a month! just imagine that! your dad tells you to clean the dishes and you forgot, you could be seeing a month in the cells! talk about harsh. this next rule is where it gets really unfair. (sorry i tried to make this unbiased but… well, tried is the key word here.)wives were not allowed to sell or give away property (*cough* sexist *cough*) furthermore, a wife could only own property with her husbands consent in writing.
in conclusion, I believe that napoleon wasn’t the best ruler.Ii understand that he did a lot for his white male population, but his whole population wasn’t made up of white males. think about the women and children!!! ∞
