Using These Four Passages and Your Own Knowledge, Assess the View That Napoleon Introduced a “Police State” Into France.

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Using these four passages and your own knowledge, assess the view that Napoleon introduced a “police state” into France. When questioning whether Napoleon introduced a “Police State” into France, it is possible to formulate an answer from two differing angles. On the one hand, we can debate whether it is justified to define Napoleonic France as a “Police State”. Whilst the four sources agree that Napoleon implemented various measures of repression, (C) and (D) correctly suggest that this level of control was a necessary measure and Napoleon was attempting to establish a “security state”. This definition accepts that restrictive policies were in place but implies these were justified as they helped provide security and stability. (A) and (B) propose the more simplistic viewpoint that Napoleon was not just using the police to impose security, but instead using them to crush all opposition and create a “Police State”. (A) and (B) fail to provide enough convincing evidence in favour of their argument and so the title of “security state” is more suitable. However, on the other hand, it is also essential to look at whether this form of policing within France was actually introduced by Napoleon. Even though (A) and (B) present Napoleon’s regime in a rather cynical light, neither claim he solely introduced a “Police State”. (C) further disagrees with the claim that Napoleon introduced this form of governing, instead arguing that it was a development from the Directory. This is significant as it clearly highlights that Napoleon could not possibly introduce a “Police State” as a more restrictive regime was already in place and so comparatively, Napoleonic France placed less control on the population. The biggest debate between the sources is what to label Napoleon’s form of governance. (A) and (B) support the title of “Police State”. (B) believes that “censorship of the
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