Did Napoleon's Childhood Affect His Later Rule?

Part A - Plan of the Investigation 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.

Part B - Summary of Evidence "I was born," said Napoleon, "when my country was perishing. Thirty

Helena, which was later compiled into a book titled Napoleon on Napoleon: The Autobiography of an Emperor, translated by Somerset de Chair in 1992. The purpose of these memoirs, like most, was to allow Napoleon to shed some light on his own life. He wanted the world to know what a great guy he was, and he apparently had the free time at Saint Helena to do it. The obvious value of this source is we get information straight from the man himself, with personal information being revealed that we may never have discovered from other sources. An historian studying his personality, and the effects of his childhood on that personality, Napoleon’s memoirs would be a treasure trove of information, especially on his psychology. The major, glaring limitation of this source is that Napoleon wrote it. It is highly probable that Napoleon wrote about himself in the best light, since any man with an ego as big as Napoleon would try not to harm their reputation. Therefore, not all of the information in these memoirs can be considered true, or full