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Napoleon at Peace: How to End a Revolution
A cogent, comprehensive, and sweeping account of Napoleon’s dismantling of the French Revolution, giving new insight into this critical period of French history.
The French Revolution facilitated the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, but after gaining power he knew that his first task was to end it. In this book William Doyle describes how he did so, beginning with the three large issues that had destabilized revolutionary war, religion, and monarchy. Doyle shows how, as First Consul of the Republic, Napoleon resolved these first by winning the war, then by forging peace with the Church, and finally by making himself a monarch. Napoleon at Peace ends by discussing Napoleon’s one great failure—his attempt to restore the colonial empire destroyed by war and slave rebellion. By the time this endeavor was abandoned, the fragile peace with Great Britain had broken down, and the Napoleonic wars had begun.
The French Revolution facilitated the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, but after gaining power he knew that his first task was to end it. In this book William Doyle describes how he did so, beginning with the three large issues that had destabilized revolutionary war, religion, and monarchy. Doyle shows how, as First Consul of the Republic, Napoleon resolved these first by winning the war, then by forging peace with the Church, and finally by making himself a monarch. Napoleon at Peace ends by discussing Napoleon’s one great failure—his attempt to restore the colonial empire destroyed by war and slave rebellion. By the time this endeavor was abandoned, the fragile peace with Great Britain had broken down, and the Napoleonic wars had begun.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published October 3, 2022
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92 people want to read
About the author
William Doyle
155 books49 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
William Doyle is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Bristol.
William Doyle is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Bristol.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 2, 2023
This is an interesting look at how Napoleon brought order from the chaos of the French Revolution. This is not a biography of Napoleon but it is a study of how he came to power.
The book is well researched and written. The first part of the book shows the chaos of the Revolution, the numerous coup d’états, and resulting problems of governing. The last part of the book shows how Napoleon, as First Consul of the Republic, resolved the main issues. He did this by winning the war, negotiating peace with the Republic Catholic Church and by making himself Emperor. This is a good book for those wanting to learn more about Napoleon. The reader will enjoy the book more if the reader has a good all-round knowledge of the French Revolution and Napoleon.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is six hours and thirty-four minutes. John Lee does an excellent job narrating the book.
The book is well researched and written. The first part of the book shows the chaos of the Revolution, the numerous coup d’états, and resulting problems of governing. The last part of the book shows how Napoleon, as First Consul of the Republic, resolved the main issues. He did this by winning the war, negotiating peace with the Republic Catholic Church and by making himself Emperor. This is a good book for those wanting to learn more about Napoleon. The reader will enjoy the book more if the reader has a good all-round knowledge of the French Revolution and Napoleon.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is six hours and thirty-four minutes. John Lee does an excellent job narrating the book.
January 19, 2023
There are libraries full of books on the French Revolution, on Napoleon, and on the Napoleonic Wars. It might seem unnecessary, then, to publish yet another book on the same subject, even one written by such a renowned expert as William Doyle. However, 'Napoleon at Peace' fits nicely into the tiny niche still available for originality. For the central aim of this new book is to explain the processes and thinking of the first consul between his seizure of power in 1799 and the establishment of a European-wide peace in 1802.
It might be surprising that this particular aspect has been overlooked. After all, the establishment of power by dictators and monarchs has occupied reams for other centuries and other people. And what Napoleon achieved in three short years, after a decade of chaos and revolution, is nothing short of extraordinary. Yet a brief glance through any university library catalogue confirms this to be the case. Then again, maybe it isn't so surprising: the violence and wars either side of this short period are bound to attract attention - it is history's version of rubber-necking. Furthermore, outside of France, at least, history has tended to focus on the victors' stories and their finally packing Napoleon off to St Helena after Waterloo. This is all exciting, self-affirming stuff. Why, then, should we consider a time when Napoleon was not really engaged in his favourite pastime of waging war?
The answer is simple: because not only is it interesting for its own sake, but because it also tells us something new about the first consul. There is no doubt that Napoleon loved war, and was, if not a great general, at least a great leader of people. But he could also override his inclinations to think strategically and politically, putting peace ahead of conflict, and achieving remarkable feats as a result.
This is where Doyle's book comes in. Breaking the process down into thematic portions, he analyses the various aspects of rule to explain how Napoleon established peace across his war-torn country and beyond. In each chapter - covering the Brumaire coup, international relations, religion, and internal administration - Doyle introduces the problems arising from the Revolution and the steps Napoleon took to curb dissent, establish peace, and promote stability. In so doing, he explores Napoleon's own background and attitudes but never strays into the realms of full-blown biography.
This approach necessarily leads to some amount of repetition, which can become tiresome to someone reading the book from cover to cover in a few sittings. But it is difficult to see how Doyle can achieve his aim without this. Instead, each chapter should be read almost as its own essay - and as such will be extremely useful for students looking at specific aspects of the Revolution and of Napoleon - and when this method is taken, the book becomes all the more convincing. By necessity, the most beautiful of tapestries are woven, their different threads overlapping again and again to form a perfect picture. This is the approach Doyle has taken, and it has worked to produce a detailed, complex, and original picture providing new insight into a time and a man we all thought we knew well.
It might be surprising that this particular aspect has been overlooked. After all, the establishment of power by dictators and monarchs has occupied reams for other centuries and other people. And what Napoleon achieved in three short years, after a decade of chaos and revolution, is nothing short of extraordinary. Yet a brief glance through any university library catalogue confirms this to be the case. Then again, maybe it isn't so surprising: the violence and wars either side of this short period are bound to attract attention - it is history's version of rubber-necking. Furthermore, outside of France, at least, history has tended to focus on the victors' stories and their finally packing Napoleon off to St Helena after Waterloo. This is all exciting, self-affirming stuff. Why, then, should we consider a time when Napoleon was not really engaged in his favourite pastime of waging war?
The answer is simple: because not only is it interesting for its own sake, but because it also tells us something new about the first consul. There is no doubt that Napoleon loved war, and was, if not a great general, at least a great leader of people. But he could also override his inclinations to think strategically and politically, putting peace ahead of conflict, and achieving remarkable feats as a result.
This is where Doyle's book comes in. Breaking the process down into thematic portions, he analyses the various aspects of rule to explain how Napoleon established peace across his war-torn country and beyond. In each chapter - covering the Brumaire coup, international relations, religion, and internal administration - Doyle introduces the problems arising from the Revolution and the steps Napoleon took to curb dissent, establish peace, and promote stability. In so doing, he explores Napoleon's own background and attitudes but never strays into the realms of full-blown biography.
This approach necessarily leads to some amount of repetition, which can become tiresome to someone reading the book from cover to cover in a few sittings. But it is difficult to see how Doyle can achieve his aim without this. Instead, each chapter should be read almost as its own essay - and as such will be extremely useful for students looking at specific aspects of the Revolution and of Napoleon - and when this method is taken, the book becomes all the more convincing. By necessity, the most beautiful of tapestries are woven, their different threads overlapping again and again to form a perfect picture. This is the approach Doyle has taken, and it has worked to produce a detailed, complex, and original picture providing new insight into a time and a man we all thought we knew well.
April 25, 2024
Fine if you're already familiar with Napoleon and the French Revolution, but a lot of the book is repetitive due to the bizarre structure. There are a lot of time skips and retreads, and despite the title, most of the time Napoleon is either at war, not in power, or both.
May 12, 2023
Napoleon is synonymous with war, perhaps history's most famed conqueror and master of armies, materiel, and men. William Doyle turns the narrative on Napoleon on its head with "Napoleon at Peace," demonstrating how Napoleon achieved political ends and leadership by solving three critical issues in Revolutionary France: monarchy, religion, and, yes, war. On all three fronts, Napoleon displayed a cunning political sense, slicing through the polarities of the early 1790s and achieving a middle ground long sought by an exhausted population tugged between Jacobin fervor and reactionary backlash.
Doyle's book makes one wonder what Napoleon would have achieved absent the ego and ambition of continental (and global) conquest. Perhaps Napoleon and his family would still retain the imperial crown of France and Bonepartes would be leading France through EU integration and the trials of the 21st Century. Napoleon seems to have forgotten that people love victories, but they yearn for peace and prosperity even more heartily.
Doyle's book makes one wonder what Napoleon would have achieved absent the ego and ambition of continental (and global) conquest. Perhaps Napoleon and his family would still retain the imperial crown of France and Bonepartes would be leading France through EU integration and the trials of the 21st Century. Napoleon seems to have forgotten that people love victories, but they yearn for peace and prosperity even more heartily.
August 28, 2023
Learnt a lot I did not know about the transition from the France of the Revolutionary Years to what would be called Napoleonic France during his time as First Consul and Emperor. The extremes of Revolutionary France ended in the early 1800s as Napoleon's regime moved toward more internal stability. I was particularly struck by the violent anticlericalism of early Republican France.
My only complaint with this readable, relatively short, book is that by organizing the book's chapters by theme rather than chronologically, the same events from 1789-1802 are covered from different angles about three or four times - the book jumps around in time like a Christopher Nolan movie.
My only complaint with this readable, relatively short, book is that by organizing the book's chapters by theme rather than chronologically, the same events from 1789-1802 are covered from different angles about three or four times - the book jumps around in time like a Christopher Nolan movie.
March 1, 2024
Read this over the course of a few weeks for a class. It’s a really interesting delve into Napoleons political and civil accomplishments up to the early empire. It’s an enlightening view of how France transitioned from the tumult of the revolution to the relative internal stability of Napoleons rule.
June 1, 2023
This book delivers a very nice look at one part of Napoleon's career. It does not get caught up in too much background about his early life or other parts of his reign. It is nicely focused and does not try to do too much.
January 17, 2023
A tight, intelligent work on an often overlooked period of Bonaparte's life. Assumes a good knowledge from the reader re. the history of the revolution, which is enjoyable.
May 19, 2023
A narrow, concise look at three specific aspects of Napoleonic policy during the Consular period (1799-1804). Fairly superficial, yet more than thorough enough for any lay reader or non-specialist.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews