SBS - Life under Napoleon (2006)

Perfume, cognac, champagne, wax figures, busts - wherever we look, we find the French emperor's legacy. But we're not really conscious of just how much the many innovations that Napoleon introduced shape today's world. Laws, customs, machines, figures of speech; many have their roots in the Napoleonic era. From the metric system and massive road construction projects; the Louisiana Purchase to the roots of today's European legal systems.

Part 1: The Conqueror
When Napoleon's armies marched into German territory, his arrival was greeted enthusiastically by some citizens of Cologne while others were filled with dread. The Church in particular was alarmed and presciently had the treasures of Cologne Cathedral moved to a safe place. Napoleon's officials instituted wide-ranging reforms. The metric system was introduced and the power of the Church wound back. Napoleon and his revolutionary principles were widely supported until he had himself crowned emperor. The coronation so enraged Beethoven, who had initially dedicated his third symphony to Bonaparte that he scratched out the dedication in a fit of rage. He sagely prophesied that Napoleon would end up abusing the human rights he had initially aspired to defend.

Part 2: The Revolutionary
The French occupation of the Rhineland provinces led to an economic boom. After a pompous coronation in Paris, Napoleon aimed for a total supremacy in Europe and at Austerlitz dealt a death blow to the Holy Roman Empire. In its place he set up the Confederation of the Rhine, a loose association of German states. The introduction of free trade enabled citizens to open their own business without restrictions.

Part 3: The Overreacher
In 1806 Napoleon entered Berlin in triumph. In 1807 Napoleon made a pact with Russia and confident that affairs in Prussia were under his control, he withdrew French troops. The imposition of an economic blockade on his old enemy Great Britain had a pervasive effect. As goods became unavailable smuggling became widespread. As well as forbidden goods, new and explosive ideas circulated and the philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte promoted education as a way of ridding Prussia of foreign domination. In 1810 the Russian Tsar withdrew from his alliance with France and the two sides prepared for war.

Part 4: The Fall of Napoleon
Napoleon's Russian campaign ended in bitter defeat. Obliged to replenish his forces Napoleon began a massive recruitment drive. As resistance to French rule grew in Germany spies were employed to detect the ringleaders. Ferdinande von Schmettau became a cult figure when she cut off her long golden locks to raise money for the fight against Napoleonic rule. At the Battle of the Nations the allied forces overcame Napoleon's army. After his exile to Elba, Napoleon returned once more but was finally defeated at Waterloo. A young French sympathiser tried to smuggle the deposed emperor to America in an empty cask of brandy. Napoleon instead chose exile in St Helena.