Identifier: modernhistoryeur00west (find matches)
Title: Modern history; Europe
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: West, Willis Mason, 1857- (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, Allyn and Bacon
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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s out of the National Notables. The legislature was to be broken up into four parts: aCouncil of State to prepare bills ; a Tribunate to discuss them,without right to vote; a Legislative Chamber to accept or rejectthem, without right to discuss or amend; and a Senate, withpower to veto. Sieyes had intended to break up the executive in like man-ner into one Consul for war, another for peace, and a GrandElector who should appoint the consuls and other great offi-cials, but should then have no part in the government. HereNapoleon intervened. He was willing to accept the system ofelections that never elected anybody, and a legislature thatcould not legislate, but he meant to have a real executive; sohe changed the shadowy Grand Elector into a First Consul,with all other parts of the constitution subject to his will.Bonaparte became First Consul. His colleagues, as he put it,were merely counsellors whom I am expected to consult, butwhose advice I need not accept. Directly or indirectly, he
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§358) THE CONSULATE. 365 himself filled all offices, and no law could even be proposedwithout his sanction.1 358. Local Administration2 was again highly centralized. Foreach department, Napoleon appointed a Prefect, and for eachsubdistrict a Subprefect. These officers were intrusted withalmost absolute power. They were free even from the localchecks upon the Intendants of the Old Monarchy, since theRevolution had cleared away the obstructing parlements andother local institutions.3 The despotic centralization of theOld Eegime was outdone. Even the forty thousand mayors oftowns and villages were appointed by the First Consul or byhis agents, and held office at his will; nor did there existanywhere independent of him the authority to light or repairthe streets of the meanest village in France. This new administration was vigorous and fearless; and under Napo-leons energy and genius, it did confer upon France great and rapid bene-fits. But, in the long run, the result was to be unspeaka

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