Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader and eventual political leader in France who was able to seize power during the end of the French Revolution of the late 1790's and early 1800's. Napoleon was the leader of France from 1804 to 1815 and mostly remembered as a leader in a cycle of European battles. He institutionalized the changes brought about by the French Revolution and sought to spread them throughout Europe. It has been long debated the factors that allowed Napoleon to seize power and eventually crown himself emperor. Such factors that have been considered have been Napoleon's personality, his military exploits, the failings of the Directory, support of the people and army and even sheer luck.
Napoleon's personality has always been an intriguing aspect of his life and career. It has been said that Napoleon displayed a variety of personality traits some even contradicting, but it is clear that certain traits were very effective in hoisting Napoleon to the heights he achieved. First and foremost, Napoleon's dangerous ambition is something that ultimately helped him seize power and make himself the unanimous Emperor. His ambition is reflected in his younger years where Napoleon became a second lieutenant in the royal artillery at the age of sixteen. With this ambition he was also a stern and ruthless man as shown in his ascent to Emperor. Dwyer reflects this in his swords, ‘Later, in 1799 during the coup d’état of 18 Brumaire, Bonaparte employed his techniques of ruthless fusion of craft and force to gain control of the French central government.’ In this coup d'etat ruthlessly Napoleon overthrew the Directory and became the First Consul. Napoleon's upbringing heavily crafted his personality and it was said that h...
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...ry as well as making his own luck to an extent and therefore his personality seems to be the essential factor. As Lyons perfectly puts, 'For most commentators, traditional historians and novelist, the personality of Bonaparte dominates a twenty-year period of European and even world history’
Works Cited
LYONS, M. (1994) Napoleon Bonaparte and the legacy of the French Revolution, London: The Macmillan Press
BERGERON, L. (1981) France under Napoleon, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
ELLIS, G. (1991) The Napoleonic Empire, London: Macmillan Press
JONES, B, R. (1977) Napoleon man and myth, London: Hodder and Stoughton
STILES, A. (1993) Napoleon, France and Europe, London: Hodder and Stoughton
ELLIS, G. (1997) Napoleon, London: Longman
DWYER, G, P. (2001) Napoleon and Europe, London: Longman
CHANDLER, D. (1973) Napoleon, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson
As the revolution calmed, the National Assembly attempted to maintain power however, Napoleon Bonaparte, an outstanding national general, ousted the newly set republic in a coup d 'etat in 1799, imposing himself dictator of France and leading the country to new militaristic heights that prompted French nationalism and the spread of Enlightenment ideas. Even though Bonaparte’s title as a dictator, emperor in 1804, connotates a restricted freedom, he actually made great lengths to enact policies that reflected Enlightenment ideals such as freedom of religion. Bonaparte centralized France’s government and moved to consolidate all of Europe under one nation. Touting Enlightenment ideals where his soldier traveled, Napoleon 's conquest set the foundation
Napoleon was a military general that participated in multiple war victories. His interests included history, law, and mathematics. His strengths as a leader benefitted in planning financial, legal, and military plans. His aspiring attitude made him believe he was destined to be the savior of France (Coffin & Stacey, 494). He favored a republic over a constitutional monarchy. When Napoleon came to power, he immediately consolidated personal power by overthrowing the five-man Directory and created a Republic. Napoleon used his status and power during the Revolution to bring out and surface Revolution ideals and help his people. Napoleon’s role in European history was the savior of the French Revolution due to the fact he accomplished most objectives that the people hoped for. Goals of the French Revolution included overthrowing the old regime of an absolute monarch, write a basic and worthy constitution, and give more rights to the third estate and limit the first and second estates power in the Estates-General.
Napoleon Bonaparte was an interesting ruler in that he was compromised of attributes of both a tyrant and a hero. Napoleon had a strong following throughout his reign and even during his two exiles. He was the emperor of France between 1799 and 1815, following the fall of the Directory. Despite the efforts of the French Revolution to rid the country of an autocratic ruler, Bonaparte came to power as Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte I in 1804. He claimed that he preserved the goals of the Revolution, which can be easily argued as his rule became more dictatorial as it progressed. Despite his departure from some of the gains of the Revolution, he overall was a hero for the French people. Through his military ventures, political changes and social reform, Napoleon proved himself as a hero. This is not to say that there were aspects of his reign that were tyrannical, but he was overall beneficial for France.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Corsica to Charles Bonaparte and Letitia Romalino. His father, who was of noble Genoese ancestry, had married 14 year old Letitia at the age of 18 and the couple had little money. “Letitia’s background differed considerably from that of her husband. Raised in the country with almost no formal education, she had early matured as an attractive, hard working, naturally shrewd and intelligent woman…” (Asprey 8). The Bonaparte’s had eight children but Napoleon was the problem child. “I was a little handful…I feared no one” (Asprey 9). Napoleon also was not well educated, though he was very outgoing and made friends with sailors who would come to the docks. Despite the Bonaparte’s lack of money and education, Charles Bonaparte worked very hard to have his sons eligible for appointment, so that the...
During Napoleon’s reign there were numerous events that changed the world however for this essay I will only address three significant events. The first event I will discuss is the Code of Napoleon followed by the Haitian Revolution and finally the sale of Louisiana.
One of the most controversial figures in European History, Napoleon Bonaparte has never ceased to be a generator of debate and analysis among historians, authors, and students. Napoleon has been closely scrutinized by many in attempts to defend or demote his motives, ambitions, and actions as Emperor of France. Nonetheless, those with true qualities of a ruler are few and far between – and Napoleon possessed the drive and ambition to bring these qualities to their full potential. Napoleon was the hero of nineteenth-century France, restoring the country to its former glory after the violence, instability, and turmoil of the French Revolution. Napoleon was the classic underdog, originally viewed as a “second-class Frenchman” due to his Corsican origins, but rising to success based on his own hard work and determination. He demonstrated the most improbable capacity for resilience; although he faced defeat on multiple occasions, he persevered and continually refused to surrender. As well, Napoleon was a protector and enforcer of “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” through the promotion of religious freedom and the nationwide application of French laws throughout his rule.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who rose to power during the time of the French Revolution. He eventually crowned himself emperor of France in 1804 after gaining political power. He showed many traits of Enlightenment ideals such as religious tolerance and rational government. When Napoleon rose to power many people supported his ideas and beliefs such as the Napoleonic Code and increased religious freedom throughout his empire, however as time went on and Napoleon’s empire grew, people including women and leaders of other countries began to realize the effect of Napoleon’s actions, causing them to perceive him differently.
Napoleon was an outstanding military commander and enjoyed many successful campaigns. Napoleon maintained the Revolutionary syst...
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica on August 15th, 1769 (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). Napoleon was a complex man who served in the revolutionary war working his way up in rank and ultimately using his military successes to gain political popularity and power (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). In 1799, Napoleon became the First Consul by overthrowing the directory and he would control France, eventually, making himself Emperor (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). This essay is going to expand on domestic and military accomplishments of Napoleon, as well as his greatest success and failure.
A ruler's reputation comes from the change that he inflicts upon his subjects, territory, and surrounding lands. Napoleon Bonaparte rose into power during the French Revolution, causing drastic changes not only to France, but to the rest of Europe as well. His domestic and foreign policies were not always successful, but his ability to rule was undeniable. From his rising in power and reform of France, up until his military defeat in Russia, Napoleon succeeded in gaining a considerate amount of power and control.
Many before Napoleon had wanted to fix the chaos and the uprising during the French revolution. The moment Napoleon Bonaparte assumed power in France. People had a difference of opinion about him. Napoleon was able to achieve the states of legend for some, who thought that he had rescued France and the French Revolution from internal chaos and exterior threats. To them Napoleon was a hero of the French Revolution. To many others Napoleon was a devil. He picked fights with the smaller nations, destroyed stability and institutionalized another dictatorship in France. Today Napoleon is not the hero of the French Revolution.
In conclusion, Napoleon Bonaparte was an amazing leader, if only he knew when to stop and think of the consequences. He started out as a very determined leader who listened to the wants of the people, and then turns into a dictator who abuses his power and demolishes France’s empire.
To what extent did Napoleon's childhood affect his later rule? The topic of this investigation is Napoleon Bonaparte’s childhood, and its effects on his later rule as emperor of France. This is mainly a psychological study, examining how the various circumstances of his upbringing impacted his method and techniques of leadership. This question is interesting because it provides context for Napoleon's emperorship, giving insight to the why of how he went about changing France the way he did. I will be looking specifically at the time period between Napoleon’s birth in Corsica up to his time spent in school in France.
Hosack, A. Kristen. Napoleon Bonaparte’s Concordat and the French Revolution. Illinois: Weslyan University Press, 2010.
Napoleon Bonaparte remains one of the most prominent figures in the history of France, and his impacts on the courses of the history of his nation are so evident and outstanding. Ever since he seized power, there have been many debates and discussions as whether he was the “savoir” and the defender of the French Revolution or was he a tyrant who destroyed the ideals of the revolution in search of his own personal ambitious glory. In this respect, Napoleon is considered as a complex and ambiguous character who is portrayed as an heir to the revolution and at the same time its betrayer.