By what means and to what extent did Napoleon Bonaparte exercise power over other European states during the years 1802-1812?

By what means and to what extent, did Napoleon Bonaparte exercise power over other European states during the years 1802 to 1812?

Introduction

Napoleon Bonaparte, who ruled France from 1799 to 1815 adopted many methods to try and exercise control over other European states. The methods included military conquests and alliances just to mention a few. In most cases the methods only succeeded in the short run but in the long term they were to a larger extent a total fiasco and they contributed greatly to the demise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Methods used

1) Dynastic policy-Napoleon instilled his brothers as kings in conquered territories e.g. Joseph Bonaparte as king of Naples, Jerome Bonaparte as king of Westphalia, Louis Bonaparte as king of Holland. His close friend Bernadotte was made king of Sweden. The dynastic policy was a success the short run as Napoleon was able to control these states and to let the Napoleonic legacy was felt everywhere. However, in the long run the policy was a failure as it aroused nationalistic feelings which ultimately undid Napoleon.

2) Military conquests-Napoleon engaged in military conquests in order to make other European states subservient to him e.g. the battle of Trafalgar with Britain, the battle of Ulm with Austria, the battle of Jena with Russia, the battle of Austerlitz etc. In these battles, he succeeded, but as he continued waging war with other European state he ended up on the receiving end.

3) Taxation-the conquered states were forced to pay tax to Napoleon eg Italy. The tax burden on the Frenchmen was lessened but created resentment from many European states.

4) Use of treaties-Napoleon 1 made treaties with other nations where he dominated their terms e.g. treaty of Amiens with Britain1802, treaty of Tilsit with Russia1807, Treaty of Pressburg with Austria 1805.

5) Alliances-were made with countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia and Austria but in most cases these alliances were short-lived because Napoleon ended up dominating his counterparts.

6) Continental System-all states under France were not going to trade with Britain. Napoleon 1 issued the Berlin and Milan decrees and Fontainebleau decrees. The Continental System only crippled Britain to a very limited extent. In the end it was Napoleon who earned hatred and this contributed to his downfall.

Conclusion

It can be inferred from the above lines that Napoleon Bonaparte used various methods. He was very successful with the methods especially up to 1807. However, after 1807, the methods were a disaster. Napoleon 1’s aggressive foreign policy became his Achilles heels because the methods he implemented were not accepted by other European nations.
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Question Demands:

The key issue is an assessment of Napoleon1’s foreign policy showing the methods he used in trying to dominate Europe and whether the methods were successful or not.

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