Napoleonic Era

The French Constitution of the Year VIII was a nationwide charter that was adopted on the twenty-fourth of December, 1799.   Around that time, the French Revolution was coming to coming to an end.   It also marked the eighth year in the calendar of the French Revolution.   This constitution was well known for the innovation of the type of government branded as Consulate.   One of the premises of the constitution is to get the consensus of the general public to weigh on opinion for the masses. This constitution was responsible for fabricating the position of First Consul, a position which gave Napoleon Bonapart the authority of a tyrant (Connely, 2000). Effectivity This constitution was effective for a short time and was later amended into the Constitution of the year X, a constitution that made Napoleon Bonaprte the First Consul for the duration of his lifespan.   The constitution that succeeded was blatantly favored to Bonaparte as it did not come with a Declaration of Rights (cited in Crook, 2007). How Bonaprte amended the constitution and rose to Power The Constitution of the year VIII basically divides the French Government into three parts.   First of which is the senate; it is composed of 31 men with an age bracket of 60 and above.   The second is the Tribunate; which is comprised of 100 men.   Last the Core Legislatif; this division is formed by 300 legislators.   However, though the government has three divisions, the authentic power resides in the First Consul, much similar to the totalitarian concept of Julius Caesar’s rule, which is peace through tyranny (Connely, 2000). References Connely, O. (2000). The Frecnh Revolution and Napoleonic Era.   Texas: Harcourt. University of North Carolina Greensboro (2002). French History Timeline. Retrieved November 17, 2007 from http://www.uncg.edu/com/sources/dafein/civ/timeline.htm The Napoleon Series (1995-2002). Government and Politics.   Constitution of the year VIII.   Retrieved November 17, 2007 From http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/ legislation/c_constitution8.htm