Economic Recovery and Social Policy

The Consulate's economic policies combined state intervention with market mechanisms in ways that prefigured modern mixed economies. Napoleon established the Bank of France to stabilize currency and credit, introduced the decimal system of weights and measures throughout French territories, and invested heavily in public works. The construction of roads, canals, and monuments provided employment while demonstrating governmental effectiveness.

Education received particular attention, with Napoleon creating a national system of secondary schools (lycées) designed to train future administrators and military officers. These institutions, emphasizing mathematics, classics, and discipline, produced generations of loyal servants for the Napoleonic state. Education was systematically used to create national unity and support for the regime.

Social policy reflected Napoleon's belief that hierarchy was natural but should be based on merit rather than birth. The Legion of Honor, established in 1802, created a new aristocracy of achievement that included soldiers, administrators, artists, and scholars. This institution satisfied the human desire for distinction while channeling ambition into service to the state.