Final answer:
During the First French Revolution, leaders used propaganda and misinformation to control and manipulate public opinion. The Jacobins incited fear to gain power, while Napoleon, as he rose to power afterward, used propaganda to craft his image as a revolutionary hero.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of the First French Revolution, various tactics were used by its leaders to manipulate public opinion and control the population through propaganda and misinformation. The Jacobins and their leader, Jean-Paul Marat, exploited the fear of counter-revolutionary forces to justify the September Massacres.
This chaos significantly aided the Jacobins in consolidating their power. Furthermore, the artist David, a prominent figure during the Revolution and later a supporter of Napoleon, used his art to create iconic imagery that glorified revolutionary ideals and leaders.
Napoleon himself, though not a dictator during the initial revolution, became a master of propaganda during his subsequent rise to power.
He is known for crafting his image as a champion of revolutionary France through art and by controlling the narrative of his military campaigns, despite some of his actions, such as ordering the deaths of prisoners and diseased troops, contradicting revolutionary principles.
Notably, after becoming Emperor, Napoleon reinstated slavery in French colonies, reversing one of the few positive changes made during the Revolution under Robespierre.
The rampant use of false information and propaganda under Napoleon's regime sought to convert his personal ambitions into historical fact, as seen in the state's promotion of commemorative coins and other forms of media depicting Napoleon's likeness and victories.