My thesis explores how Napoleon and his bureaucrats crafted justifications for five sensitive shifts in domestic policy from 1804 to 1815. More specifically, how the Napoleonic state used the official press organ of the French government, the Gazette Nationale ou le Moniteur Universel, to present those justifications for public consumption is the central aim of this thesis. While largely assumed to be an instrument of propaganda for the Napoleonic regime, Le Moniteur has received few detailed studies as to the language, timing, and frequency of articles inserted into the political section of the official journal; of how the Napoleonic state used language to influence public opinion. My thesis will rectify this conspicuous absence and illustrate how Napoleon's government explained its increasingly monarchical character through several key examples: (1) the creation of the hereditary empire in 1804; (2) the creation of an imperial noblesse from 1806 to 1808; (3) the elevation of Joseph Bonaparte to the throne of Spain in 1808; and (4) Napoleon's marriage to Austrian archduchess Marie-Louise in 1810. The fifth chapter on Napoleon's return to France in 1815 during the Cent-Jours is the exception that proves the rule. Returning from Elba, Napoleon used Le Moniteur to justify his return in a new "liberal" light, abandoning the overt monarchical character of his previous rule. This is a story of how the Napoleonic state attempted to carefully package meticulous justifications and extensive explanations for these sensitive changes that marked significant departures from previous domestic policy, for the French reading public. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the Master of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 13, 2015. / Justifications, Le Moniteur, Napoleonic, Newspapers, official journal, Propaganda / Includes bibliographical references. / Rafe Blaufarb, Professor Directing Thesis; G. Kurt Piehler, Committee Member; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_253036 |
| Contributors | Siegler, Richard J. (authoraut), Blaufarb, Rafe (professor directing thesis), Piehler, G. Kurt (committee member), Grant, Jonathan A., 1963- (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of History (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (138 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Coverage | Europe |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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