NaPoleon's Attitude And Policies Toward The Jews

Napoleon I made and implemented a series of policies toward the Jews. But in fact, the two aspects of these policies were incompatible with each other. Due to the impact of the Great Revolution of France, the military attack and regime of Napoleon I emancipated the Jews under those outdated and moribund Empires, and entitled them citizen rights and equality of law status. However, it was the same person that imposed prohibitions on the Jews and attempted to assimilate them. For Napoleon I, the only way to nationalize the Jews in France and other European areas governed by him was to make their nationality gradually dying out. We can't deny the toleration showed by his religious policies and national policies, which gave permission and encouragement to the Sanhedrin and the Assemble of Jewish Notable. At the same time, Napoleon I attempted to induce the Jews to give up their Jewish nationality, the tradition of self-governance in their community and their aspiration of returning to Palestine. We must take into consideration the political motivation and economical calculation of Napoleon I, which were covered by the progressive fa?ade. This piece of judgment can earn its support from the fact that the cooperation and dedication of the Jews had a vital bearing on the stability of inner situation as well as the combat effectiveness of French army. As far as it concerned, the historical facts tell us incontrovertibly that the faith of freedom, equality and fraternity advocated by the Great Revolution of France was intertwined with the egoism of modern nationalism. The root cause of continually running into plights of Napoleon's polices lay on the contradiction of the two aspects.Despite the attitude of Napoleon treated was contradictory, but to be objective and impartial, we should admit the momentous influences exerted on the European Jewish daily life by these policies. The walls of Ghettos were dismantled by the regime of Napoleon I, and the Jewish people came out from the isolation, unprecedented broad world was emerged to the Jews. In the relatively free circumstance, the creative talents of them were given a full play in the areas of economy, literature, science, philosophy and arts. What's more important was that Napoleon's policies existed as a watershed in the history of European Jews and set the keynote of their daily life in a hundred years or more to come: the Jewish people abandoned the tradition of self-governance in their community and gradually accommodated themselves to the society in which they lived. Besides, because of the implementation of Napoleon's policies far going beyond the native land of France,"the question of Jews"had become one of primary themes in modern international politics for the first time. European national states with relevant national interests began to show great concern on the Jewish people living in their societies. Based on the result, The egoism embodied by Napoleon's policies was not only excluded the nationality of the Jews, but also play an incentive part in the formation of modern Zionism.