What were Napoleon Bonaparte's achievements?


Quick Answer

Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with ending the French Revolution and, with the establishment of a stable government, bringing security and equality to France. He introduced a system of meritocracy to replace the older system that privileged inheritance and status.

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Full Answer

Napoleon also introduced the Napoleonic Code to the world. He based it off of Justinian's Code, or Roman law. The Napoleonic Code separated civil law into personal status, property and the acquisition of property, ensuring that every French citizen would have an equal chance to gain wealth and status. The Code was massively influential and became the basis for most European countries' governments.

During his reign of power, Napoleon created the Bank of France to support France's faltering economy and provide his military campaigns with financial support. He used his personal wealth to back the money. He also later signed the Concordat with the Pope, recognizing Catholicism as the state religion, but also providing religious freedom to French citizens. He introduced an upper limit for prices on basic food items, such as bread and flour, to prevent riots due to hunger and starvation. By providing France with a strong economy, religious freedom and cheap food, Napoleon successfully kept the population comfortable enough to prevent any rebellions or widespread resistance to his own power.

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