Explain any five social and administrative reforms introduced by Napoleon in the regions under his control.

 OR

'The measures taken by the French to control the spread of bubonic plague in Hanoi created a serious problem.' Explain the statement.

Napoleon Bonaparte incorporated revolutionary principles in administrative field in order to make the whole system more rational and efficient.

 (i) The Civil Code of 1804, usually known as the Napoleonic Code, did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property.

 (ii) Napoleon simplified administrative divisions, abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.
(iii)In the towns too, guild restrictions were removed. Transport and communication system were improved.

 (iv) Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen enjoyed a new-found freedom.

 (v) Uniform laws, standardised weight and measures and a common national currency were introduced

OR

In 1903, the modern part of Hanoi was struck by bubonic plague.

(i) To stem this invasion, a rat hunt was started in 1902. The French hired Vietnam workers and paid them for each rat they caught. 

(ii) For the Vietnamese, the rat hunt provided an early lesson in the success of collective bargaining.

(iii) Those who did the dirty work of entering sewers began negotiating a higher bounty.

(iv) They also discovered innovative ways to profit from the situation. The bounty was paid when a tail was given as proof that a rat has been killed. So, the rat catchers took to just clipping the tails and releasing the rats so that the process could be repeated over and again.

(v) Some people, in fact, began raising rats to earn a bounty, these forced French to scrap the bounty programme.