A Curious Incongruity?
It is sometimes questioned how a nation as sophisticated as France, controlled by a great leader such as Napoleon could have overlooked the differences between a republic and empire and in so doing indicate on their coinage that their republic was ruled by an emperor. It further appears that this oversight was corrected with the coinage of 1809. However, this is incorrect. As was hinted to about the laurel wreath being a symbol borrowed from Roman history, so too was Napoleon's understanding of an Emperor. Caesar was the Emperor of the Roman Republic and emperor was understood in ancient times as the "chief administrator". Napoleon wished to not to be called “Grand Elector,” which savored of Prussia, but “First Consul,” which carried the aroma of ancient Rome. So Napoleon remained deaf to the appeals for Communal self-rule. Going back to the Roman Consular system, or to the intendant of the late Bourbons, he preferred to appoint – or to have the Interior Ministry appoint – to each département (county) a ruling prefect, to each arrondissement (ward) a sub-prefect, and to each commune (parish) a mayor; each appointee to be responsible to his superior, and ultimately to the central government. The civil service – the total administrative body – in Napoleonic France was the least democratic and most efficient known in history, with the possible exception of ancient Rome. When viewed in this context, there is no incongruity with Napoléon Empereur and "RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE."
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