French consulate

After the 18 Brumaire coup, the only government in France was the interim government, which consisted of three consuls ( Bonaparte , Sieyes , Roger Ducos ). Two commissions of members of the Councils of Five Hundreds and Elders had an obligation to draw up a new constitution. The consuls — or rather, the consul Bonaparte, since the other two were nothing more than his instruments — acted with decisiveness by the autocratic authorities. Paris reacted quite calmly to the coup, not expressing any dissatisfaction with anything and even clearly sympathizing with the new order; some provincial magistrates protested in some places in the province, but the protest was not strong. French and even foreign exchanges reacted to the coup with full confidence; Instead of the usual decrease in exchange values ​​in such cases, on the very days of 18 and 19 Brummer, they began to increase the French 5% of state values, before the coup, which could hardly be sold at 7 francs per 100. The increase continued with fluctuations throughout the following months and reached at the end of 1800 years 44 francs. On 20 Brumaire , a decision was made to expel 34 Jacobins from France, but soon, however, it was canceled. Numerous statements by the new government spoke of his loyalty to the principles of the revolution; The obligatoryness of the republican calendar was confirmed; the decree on emigrants, “whom the fatherland forever casts out of its midst,” remains in force. To prove their peacefulness, the consuls turned to England and Austria with peace proposals.

By 22nd Fremer VIII, the commissions that worked out the constitution had completed their work; Siis's project was redone according to the wishes of Bonaparte, who is the main author of the constitution. It was a completely monarchical constitution, preserving only the ghost of popular power. The constitution, handing the supreme executive power to the three consuls, appointed Bonaparte as the first consul, Bonbartes as the second, and Lebren as the third (for 5 years). The first consul received, directly or in a slightly disguised form, the right to appoint all government posts, not excluding members of the legislative body, tribune, state council and senate (see French Constitutions). The constitution was to be subjected to popular vote (plebiscite), and this was almost the only manifestation of popular sovereignty.

When the people cast their votes, no discussion was allowed; the vote was open. 3 011 000 votes were cast for the constitution, only 1,562 against it; voted for almost the entire Parisian intelligentsia, professors of various educational institutions, artists, lawyers, including many former Montagnards. The new order was introduced even before the plebiscite, to which the already existing constitution was subjected. All power was now in the hands of Bonaparte. He formed the ministry, which included Talleyrand as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lucien Bonaparte (Minister of the Interior), Foucher (Minister of Police).

Bonaparte's task was difficult. It was necessary to create almost completely anew all management, restore finances, which were in an extremely confusing situation, in the complete absence of credit, and somehow end the second coalition . One of Bonaparte's first measures was the prohibition, on 27 of the VIII year (January 17, 1800), "for the time of war", of 60 political periodicals in Paris; only 13 were saved, and then with subordination to the Minister of Police and with the threat of prohibition in case of articles appearing in them that “do not show due respect for the social order, for popular sovereignty, for the glory of the army ... and for powers friendly to the republic, at least these articles were extracts from foreign magazines ”; the appearance of new magazines was made dependent on prior permission. The police persecution of political opponents differed at the consulate (as subsequently under the empire) in extreme rudeness.

Thus, suppressing all manifestations of political freedom, Bonaparte energetically carried out the positive part of his program. It consisted of the creation of a firm, extremely centralized power, in the patronage of industry, especially agriculture, in reconciliation with the new order of things of all those elements of the old society that can only be reconciled with it (especially the church), in improving finances. Law 28 of the 8th pluviosis of VIII year (February 17, 1800 ) “on the division of territory and administration” retained and strengthened the division of France into departments and introduced a new division into districts (arrondissements). The department is headed by a prefect appointed by the government; a prefectural council and a general council were established under it, and those and others appointed by the government from the lists of departmental notices proposed by voters (voters elected one tenth of the persons who were communal notables from their midst; these last from their midst also one tenth - that is, the whole France, about 50,000 people - departmental notables, of which departmental posts were replaced). In districts under suprefects there were also district councils appointed by the government. In cities, the appointed mayors were in charge of the city economy.

Thus, all control from top to bottom was made strictly centralized, returning completely to pre-revolutionary times; the prefects took the place of the quartermasters of the old monarchy, but were vested with much more real power and acted under much more effective control of the central government. On March 18, 1800, a law on the judicial organization of France was passed, imbued with the same aspirations. On February 7, 1801, this law, in view of the royalist attempt on Bonaparte’s life, was supplemented by the law on special tribunals for all cases when the government deems it necessary to direct the case under the exclusive jurisdiction. An important legislative act was the Civil Code of 1804, subsequently (1807) renamed the Code of Napoleon (Code Napoléon); it was already during the empire followed by codes of civil and criminal proceedings (1806), commercial law (1807), criminal laws (1810); in all these legislative acts the equality created by the revolution before the law was rather strictly carried out and the remnants of feudalism were destroyed. The Civil Code allowed divorce at the mere request of the spouses, but greatly expanded the power of the husband and father in the family, unconditionally subordinating the wife and children to it; illegal children were forbidden to look for their father. In the field of criminal law, Napoleonic legislation unconditionally returned to pre-revolutionary traditions, generously scattering the death penalty, restoring punishments such as cutting off fathers before executing their right hands, branding a shoulder, and confining a heavy core to convicts; these punishments were finally abolished only in 1832.

In 1801, with the assistance of the government, a society for the promotion of national industry was founded. Significantly improved communication routes, both land and river; the law on the protection of forests of the XI year saved them from indiscriminate destruction. 7th Nivaza VIII year (December 25, 1799) church buildings were returned to the church; On July 15, 1801, a concordat was concluded with Pope Pius VII, by virtue of which the state church in France was restored by law of 18th Germinal Χ year (April 8, 1802) bishops were to be appointed by the first consul, but receive approval from the pope; the last important measure in this direction, already adopted during the empire, was the abolition of the republican calendar and the restoration of the Christian calendar (January 1, 1806). The Catholic Church was so reconciled with the new order of things in France that the pope agreed to marry Napoleon to the kingdom. Subsequently, their relationship deteriorated again, so that the pope excommunicated Napoleon from the church.

Conspiracies against Napoleon, execution of the Duke of Engien , changes to the constitution of the year (recognition of Bonaparte as consul for life), constitution of the 12th year , which recognized Napoleon as emperor, coronation of Napoleon in 1804 - see Napoleon I.

• Constitution of 1799