Question

Repress the journals a little; make them produce wholesome articles. . . . Tell them that the . . . Revolution is over, and that there is now only one party in France; that I shall never allow the newspapers to say anything contrary to my interests; that they may publish a few little articles with just a bit of poison in them, but that one fine day somebody will shut their mouths.

Read an excerpt of Napoleon’s letter concerning freedom of the press.

How do Napoleon’s views in this letter reflect Enlightenment thinking?

Napoleon is in line with Enlightenment thinking because he only supports “a little” repression of the press.
Napoleon’s call for repression of the press was in opposition to Enlightenment thinking.
Napoleon is in line with Enlightenment thinking because he is merely asking for “wholesome articles.”
Napoleon mentioning the end of revolution and political parties puts him in opposition to Enlightenment thinking.

Answer 1

Napoleon’s call for repression of the press was in opposition to Enlightenment thinking.

Explanation: Enlightenment ideals promoted free expression, open public debate, and the use of reason to critique government—principles embodied in a free press. Napoleon’s instructions to censor journals, forbid criticism, and create a single-party order are fundamentally contrary to those ideals (even if some Enlightenment thinkers favored strong “enlightened” rulers, they did not endorse systematic silencing of dissent).