The French occupation of the Rhineland provinces led to an economic boom. Weavers, in particular, benefited from having new markets for their wares. Newspapers also sprang up, but their owners had to adhere to strict rules of censorship. Napoleon saw his new provinces as a source of soldiers, and had young Rhinelanders called up. Draft-dodging became a lucrative business as unscrupulous men took commissions for bribing officials on the recruitment board.
After a pompous coronation in Paris, Napoleon aimed for total supremacy in Europe, and at Austerlitz dealt the death blow to the Holy Roman Empire. In its place he set up the Confederation of the Rhine, a loose association of German states.
