The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 886: Chapter 14 The Differences between France and Britain_2

It was with Arthur’s encouragement and help that Ampere perfected his research on electromagnetic effects and derived the fundamental formulas of electrodynamics.

If Arago wasn’t surrounded at this moment, he would most likely already be discussing the latest research in British electromagnetism with Arthur.

However, what intrigued Arthur the most about Arago was not his academic achievements or his penchant for mentoring young scholars, but that this gentleman could assume the position of lifelong secretary of the Academy after Fourier and also hold the position of director of the Paris Observatory.

What Arthur found even more unbelievable was that this academic giant, who bloomed in many fields, was also a savvy politician.

Since arriving in France, Arthur discovered many phenomena that were starkly different from those in Britain.

In Britain, scientists usually seldom participate in politics, and their initial motivation for scientific research stemmed from either interest or a desire to apply scientific advancements to improve production techniques.

For this reason, the mainstream scientists in Britain mostly hailed from trades like mechanics and engineering, and their achievements in the application of science were unparalleled at the time. After achieving scientific successes, most of these mechanics and engineers would immediately commercialize their innovations.

Typical examples include the spinning jenny invented by the weaver James Hargreaves, the improved steam engine by instrument maker James Watt, and the steam locomotive invented by the mechanic George Stephenson, among others.

After achieving breakthroughs in applied technology, these gentlemen almost without exception broke free from their original social class, becoming full-time factory owners dedicated to mechanical manufacturing and production.

In France, there were also many stories of rising from the bottom to achieve class transcendence. However, unlike Britain, French researchers favored theoretical research, and their goal after gaining fame was not to become immensely wealthy merchants but to use their influence in the scientific community as a stepping stone into politics.

The tradition of scientists entering politics has continued on this land for many years, and the French Academy of Sciences’ evaluation criteria for outstanding scientists not only included extraordinary research abilities but also their diplomatic skills.

The French Academy of Sciences was founded in 1699, and its founder and primary sponsor was the then King of France, ’Sun King’ Louis XIV. From then on, nearly every member of the French Academy of Sciences not only developed new technologies for the government but also served as royal advisers to the French royal family.

Although this tradition caused the Academy to suffer during the Great Revolution period, with renowned academicians like Lavoisier, Laplace, and Coulomb being expelled from the Academy by order of the National Assembly.

Among them, the leader of the French Academy of Sciences, lifelong secretary Lavoisier, was identified as a representative of the old regime due to his role as a tax collector and was sent to the guillotine.

As a result, Lagrange, who was working at the Academy at the time, could only lament, ”It took only a moment to cut off his head, but it will take a hundred years to produce another like it.”

Despite Lagrange’s lament, after Lavoisier’s execution, the researchers at the French Academy of Sciences, who were skilled in both research and politics, quickly adapted their alignments.

Especially researchers like Laplace and Lagrange, who rose from the bottom, preserved their valuable knowledge by zealously producing firearms and ammunition for the National Assembly during the Great Revolution.

By 1795, following the fall of the Girondins and Jacobins, the more moderate Thermidorian Faction Directory came to power.

It was only then that they suddenly realized how luxurious a wealth it was for France to possess a group of scientists who possessed ’irreplaceable intellects.’

They reactivated the French Academy of Sciences, which had been shut down for several years, summoning back the expelled scientists and allowing them to resume their research, naturally with a primary focus on military science.

By 1799, a cannon shot echoed in the streets of Paris, marking the dramatic entrance of the Corsican ’demon king.’

With the support of Talleyrand, Fouche, and others, Napoleon Bonaparte secretly returned to Paris from Egypt and successfully took control of the Directory in the Coup of 18 Brumaire, proclaiming himself First Consul of the French Republic.

This was undoubtedly good news for the French Academy of Sciences, as this Corsican-born First Consul had once studied artillery at the military academy under the tutelage of the Academy’s great scholar Laplace.

Moreover, Napoleon himself placed great importance on the application of science in the military field. During his expedition to Egypt, in addition to bringing 26,000 soldiers, 2,000 cannons, and 400 ships, he also brought 175 scholars and numerous boxes of books and research equipment.

This large scholar advisory group included 21 mathematicians, 3 astronomers, 17 civil engineers, 13 naturalists and mining engineers, 13 geographers, 3 pyrotechnicians, and more.

Napoleon’s care for them was meticulous. To ensure the safety of this group of researchers, Napoleon even issued a famous order during the march: ”Let the donkeys and scholars walk in the middle of the troop.”

As soon as Napoleon seized power, he immediately appointed his teacher Laplace as the director of the newly established French Bureau of Longitude, and later even made him Minister of the Interior for six months. Furthermore, in the year he seized power, he ordered the establishment of what is now the most prestigious university in France—Paris École Polytechnique.