Napoleon's foreign policy goals did not reflect the values of the French Revolution, specifically those of liberty, fraternity, and equality. While the Revolutionaries wanted peace for France, however, Napoleon used both peace and war to advance his interests. Napoleon's primary objective was to unite Europe under one empire through military conquest and establish himself as supreme ruler. The Revolution valued individual freedom, yet Napoleon conquered the entirety of the European mainland. His army captured each state, established a local government with his supporters, and then reformed the government using France as a model. Napoleon believed in the authority of law even though he was an authoritarian leader. He promised French citizens precedent under law before any other European citizen. One of Napoleon's most blatant contradictions to the Revolutions values was the Continental System. This System was forced on all European states under Napoleon's control. It attacked the economy of England, one of Napoleon's greatest enemies. The Continental System placed an embargo on British goods, however it failed because black market developed and it did not hurt England. The Continental System, as well as Napoleon's other foreign policies, reinforce the argument that his actions were not intended to fulfill the promise of the Revolution.
Napoleon's foreign actions did hold true some of the values of the French Revolution. He wanted the citizens of his empire to be equal and ended feudal regimes. He gave governments more power and striped the nobility of their privileges in taxation and government.
Overall, Napoleon's foreign goals did not match the values of the French Revolution. This was made clear by the Nationalism movements that developed out of opposition to his reign. For example, the Spanish loathed the French because of the destruction of their land during battle. Spain's nationalistic movement was therefore anti-french and united the country around the idea of removing Napoleon from Spain. This notion also holds true for the nationalism movements in Germany. Many Germans were displeased with the rights offered to them under Napoleon's rule, specifically that these rights were less than those of French citizens within the empire. Ultimately, Napoleon's primary goal was not to advance the ideals of the Revolution across Europe, but instead to further his domain and power on the continent.
This painting depicts Napoleon in battle.
