What was the root cause of the fall of the Napoleonic Empire?

Napoleon Bonaparte is a world-renowned name, a famous figure in the modern history of the world. Born into a family of run-down aristocrats in Corsica, France, he lived a life full of intricate and magical experiences. Napoleon was crowned emperor in December 1804 and established the First French Empire, which shook the Continent. So what was the reason for the collapse of Napoleon's first empire?

1. Dictatorship within

　　After the "Misty Moon Coup", Napoleon seized power and became the first ruler of the French government, but he was not satisfied with this, he hoped to get more and more power, and to be the "military dictator needed by the French Republic". To this end, Napoleon did not hesitate to go against the will of the broad masses of the French people, gradually alienated and deviated from the principles of revolution, and more and more succumbed to the principles of the legitimacy of the feudal dynasty. In 1802, he was proclaimed the first consul for life, and in December 1804 he was crowned emperor, establishing the First French Empire, and the dictatorship was finally established. Its authoritarian rule is embodied in:

　　First, politically, on December 25, 1799, Napoleon, who had just seized power, ordered the promulgation and implementation of a new constitution, which stipulated that the legislative power belonged to the parliament, which was divided into the Senate, the Conservatory, the Legislative Yuan, and the Senate, but in fact was controlled by Napoleon. Napoleon had the power to propose bills, promulgate laws, appoint officials at all levels, and decide to declare war and negotiate peace. It can be seen that the entire legislative power was actually controlled by Napoleon alone. The executive power was nominally owned by the three rulings for a 10-year term, and all officials at the central and local levels of government, the army, the courts, and other departments could be appointed or dismissed, but the actual power was also in the hands of Napoleon. In order to facilitate the consolidation of national power, Napoleon established the Council of State headed by him, which controlled 12 ministries.

　　Throughout the country, the administrative structure of counties, counties, and cities was implemented, the system of local autonomy established during the Great Revolution was abolished, and the chief executives at all levels were personally appointed by the first consul. The judiciary was vested in the executive government, and Napoleon had the power to appoint judges, reorganized the courts, abolished the jury system, and established the Ministry of Justice to take charge of judicial affairs throughout the country. This shows that the centralized system of Napoleon's dictatorship has replaced the principles of bourgeois democracy and freedom advocated in the programmatic document of the Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and That France has once again moved towards absolute monarchy.

　　Second, economically, Napoleon centralized financial management at the center, ordered the abolition of the power of local governments to allocate and collect direct taxes, and established the General Administration of Direct Taxes, and the provinces set up sub-offices. At the same time, the state directly dispatches tax collectors to all provinces, regions, and towns to carry out tax collection tasks. In addition, the currency system was reformed and a mercantilist policy was pursued. Napoleon used these measures to control the country's financial power.

2. In terms of ideology and culture

　　In order to suppress the people's movement and strictly control public opinion, the Napoleonic regime established a harsh censorship system of books and newspapers. In order to strengthen the control of people's minds, Napoleon constantly increased the expenditure of the church, and even ordinary secondary schools had Catholic priests in residence. He forbade people to discuss politics and ordered the abolition of the Faculty of Politics and Ethics of the Académie française. In books, plays, and schools, revolutionaries during the Revolution were forbidden to mention anything, and they persecuted political prisoners in a frenzied manner, sending a large number of political prisoners dissatisfied with dictatorial and authoritarian rule to madhouses for torture.

3. The Inspector General of the Paris Police shall be set up to monitor the people

　　While vigorously strengthening the centralized rule, Napoleon established his own Guards and the Inspector General of the Paris Police, and laid out a well-organized police system and a gendarmerie that coexisted with it throughout the country, which spread all over the country, monitored the people everywhere, and reported the words and deeds of the people to the Central Committee at any time and at any time. At the same time in the army, the Great Purge was carried out.

　　Although The French revolution of 1789 has overthrown feudal absolutism to a certain extent, the bourgeoisie has not ended the turmoil since the Revolution through the rule of the Constitutional Monarchists, the Girondins, the Jacobin Dictatorship, and the Thermidorian Party. After seizing power and stabilizing the domestic situation, Napoleon did not abandon the military dictatorship, but actively promoted the dictatorship, which went against the interests of the bourgeoisie and the trend of historical development, and eventually led to his own complete collapse.

　　In summary, it can be seen that the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire was inevitable. It can be said that Napoleon created the First Empire, and it was also Napoleon who destroyed the First Empire. Looking at the rise and fall of the Napoleonic Empire, there are many questions worth pondering.