To What Extent Did the French People Benefit from the Reforms During the Consulate?

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To what extent did the French people benefit from the reforms during the consulate? ESSAY PLAN FOR REVISION INTRODUCTION (KEEP IT BRIEF) * Many historians debate about whether the French public benefited from the reforms during the consulate or whether they were purely there to put forth the image of a democratic France. * Reforms during the consulate involved the economy, education, government, religion and the civil code. * Some say these reforms aided the French public, others argue Napoleon’s reasons were purely selfish and did not aid the public at all. * Napoleon bought stability which inevitably benefitted everyone after the chaos of the revolution FIRST PARAGRAPH (FACTOR IN THE QUESTION....IF THERE ISN’T ONE, START WITH MOST IMPORTANT) * Religious reforms (most important as it showed Napoleon exercising religious toleration) * Benefitted everyone, including the poor, peasants were very religious and had been afraid of the prospect of hell after the French revolution had effectively wiped out religion in France; therefore, when Napoleon introduced the concordat in 1801, the peasants were happy with the reinstating of Catholicism in France. * Concordat showed Napoleon being very tolerant of religion as whilst Catholicism was previously the state religion it became merely the majority religion; the religious toleration meant that Protestants and Jews were able to practice their faiths openly and freely; Napoleon took this a step further and paid the protestant clergy as he did the catholic clergy * Religious reforms put forth by Napoleon during the consulate benefitted the French public and showed Napoleon physically practising the idea of equality; however, some would argue that as Napoleon did make himself the head of the church in France which could be interpreted to mean that he wanted to ensure that he had influence
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