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Napoleon's rise and fall
The rise and fall of napoleon bonaparte essays
Napoleon Bonaparte as a military leader
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One of, if not the most powerful people in modern western history was Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon Bonaparte came from humble beginnings, and with hard work and dedication he steadily and quickly rose up the military and eventually political ranks. Napoleon Bonaparte became France’s young, charismatic, and smart leader. However, just as quickly as he rose, he fell. Napoleon Bonaparte’s fall from power was largely attributed to himself becoming less “a man of the people” and more similar to past monarchs. He became too fixated certain matters, which in turn hurt other matters. Lastly, Napoleon Bonaparte fell from power because he tried to gain too much power, his later military campaigns decimated his army, leaving France vulnerable to rival states. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in Corsica, Italy. He was part of a noble family, however it was undistinguished, and he had Italian linage. At age 10 he was sent to France for an education, later studied at the prestigious Military Academy in Paris.1 He prepared for a career as an artillery solder in the French military. It is widely assumed that Napoleon chose this field because there was less aristocracy than in other divisions. He was minor officer until 1793, but the seizer of power by the Jacobins gave him a chance to advance his career. He shared political ideas with the Jacobins. As a result, the Jacobins gave Napoleon the title Brigadier General for some of France and Italy. When the Jacobs fell, Napoleon gave his services to the government of the Directory.2 Napoleon led French soldiers on many campaigns around Europe and gained a lot of land for the French, he became a national hero. During one of Napoleons campaigns, it became known to Napoleon that the director... ... middle of paper ... ...tial rulers or modern history. It is perhaps more clear that Napoleon Bonaparte was also flawed in many ways, which in turn led to his ultimate demise. Napoleon fell from power because he strayed from his initial beliefs and morals, becoming less a man of the people. He also became too fixated on matters, becoming obsessive and losing control. And Lastly, Napoleon Bonaparte fell from power because he wanted too much power, Napoleon gained a lot of power at a young age, he wanted to continue to gain power instead of maintaining it. A combination of all of these faults led to the great fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. If Napoleon maintained is ideals that he created as a young man, and perhaps held back on his attempts to gain more power he could have lasted longer as the ruler of France, and could have maintained France’s position as the most powerful country in Europe.
Napoleon Bonaparte ruled in France from 1789 to 1815. Napoleon came to power in 1789 and immediately became a powerful figure in the French government. However, some thought Napoleon was such a great leader. The Napoleonic Empire started to grow France’s territories. Some might have believed that Napoleon was too eager with his rule, while losing and failing to succeed against the power of England, in an attempt to blockade their trade, and of Russia, where he led his army to a defeat and retreat back to France. Even in his success over Spain, the battle still costed Napoleon and his army in men and resources. Napoleon was mostly viewed as a powerful and militaristic leader in some aspects, but others saw him as a coward and terrible leader in other ways.
Throughout centuries, history has presented to life a plethora of individuals who would then impact the world by means of various arduous missions and accomplishments. While certain people are extolled for their grandiloquent changes to society, others may become infamous for imperiling humankind. However, within history lies a character who is interposed between approbation and being loathed, whose name is Napoléon Bonaparte. This particular person was a French leader who ruled as an emperor in 1804 and had performed numerous tasks across his lifetime. As a commander, he performed remarkably when concerning lawmaking, nationalism, military bearing, and restoring order to France.
Bonaparte was born in 1769 on the island of Corsica just as France conquered it. At age ten, Napoleon was sent to military school outside Paris. At sixteen, he graduated and became a lieutenant in the artillery. When the French revolution broke out, Napoleon sided with the new government. Along with the help of his army, he dissolved the revolutionary government and made himself emperor. Saying he was saving the Revolution, Napoleon established a new government that stressed equality. Through his prowess, Napoleon greatly enlarged the French Empire. Though he ran...
...y, and more indirectly, the world. Napoleon’s greed got the best of him in the end, tough. It was Napoleon’s boldness to advance and try to take the Russian empire that led to his downfall. No man had ever even considered to bother the sleeping bear that was the Russians. Upon provoking the Russians, his troops were massacred and he was sent into exile. France was set back to its normal borders and the leaders of the conquered states were reseated in power. Yet, Napoleon’s exile did not hold him back. He returned and tried to reclaim his power from the powers that had unseated him. He challenged the authority that had been merciful upon him and sent him into exile. Upon his return, he tried to throw a coup and seize his government once again. It was unsuccessful and he was sent to permanent exile in St. Helena. He later died there, leaving the world forever changed.
... It is important to understand that since France had just exited a revolution, it was pretty fragile; one big mistake and France might have ended up in another one. Napoleon was not only a child of both the French Revolution and the Enlightenment, he was also a very intelligent person. His cunning and wits led him to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, enlightened despots of all time. Works Consulted (none of the above).
Mansel, P. (1998, March 1). Napoleon the kingmaker. (his nepotism weakened his power). History Today, p. 39-46.
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Nothing has been simpler than my elevation…It is owing to the peculiarities of the time.” Coming to power at a time of instability and disorder in France immediately following the French Revolution, Napoleon quickly established himself as the political leader and military power behind France. Easily and efficiently overthrowing the poorly managed Directory, Napoleon established a three man governing body referred to as the Consulate. Naming himself Consul for Life in 1802, and crowning himself emperor in 1804, Napoleon made it clear that is was a time of dramatic change in France. Although establishing himself as an absolute ruler, Napoleon did it all with the support of the people, through the use of a plebiscite. Obviously a man that held immense power, Napoleon has been credited with many great successes. To the people of France, Napoleon was a savior, a man who could, despite being an autocrat, implement the ideals of the French Revolution. Establishing order, giving the French people a sense of security, and running his government smoothly became Napoleon’s priorities. Through a variety of reforms including, centralizing the government, establishing public education, instituting religious tolerance specifically signing the Concordat of 1801, and stimulating the economy, Napoleon won the support of French people across the classes, including the peasantry who in years previous had suffered greatly under absolute rulers. One of Napoleon’s most lasting reforms was his installment of the Napoleonic Code, a set of laws that reflected the idea of equality so evidently bannered throughout the French Revolution. Napoleon was able to capture the attention of the French people through every facet except absolutism.
Napoleon’s “coup d’etat of 18 brumaire was an insurance against both the Jacobin revolution and the Royalist restoration.” The French people expected Napoleon to bring back peace, order and to consolidate the political and social conquests of the Revolution. Napoleon considered these conquests to be “the sacred rights of property, equality and liberty.” If Napoleon gained power with the promise of upholding the principles of the French Revolution, how did he betray the revolution? Many historians argue that Napoleon was an effective but ambitious leader.
Napoleon was born in Corsica and went to military school where at that time France was at war with Britain, Austria and Russia. Being in the military he led the French army and achieved victory from the Austrians in 1797 who also negotiated with other nations such as Britain (MORAN 6-22). He established a new Napoleon code which had traditional laws resembling the new revolution in France. He later crowned himself emperor of France and combined social rehabilitation with his own arbitrary power. He also worked a covenant with the Catholic Church where there was a purification of Napoleon and Empress Josephine, who was from a wealthy family. His rise created a new empire which covered much of Europe apart from Britain (MORAN 6-22). He used his family, relatives and friends to power the European countries, hence to why his pride and aspiration led Europe to unite against him. His fall was brought by the detested of French rule all over
Napoleon was one of the most controversial, yet important, leaders in history. He had a complex life, and the legacy of Napoleon is debated and questioned among present-day scholars and historians. When people try to answer the question: "What is the legacy of Napoleon: A Son of the Revolution, an Enlightened Despot, or a dictator?" they must consider what each term truly means. A despot is: "a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it cruelly or oppressively.” Meanwhile, a dictator is: “a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force.”
Napoleon’s military career is what eventually led to his prominence. Napoleon began his military career above most of the other men his age. He rapidly made his way through the ranks eventually gaining a great support system. As the directory leaned more and more heavily upon the military, a coup d’état developed. Because of his military expertise, he immediately became first consul of France. The empire of France was soon to grow once Napoleon was in reign. In the 1790s the French army was near one million men, an advantage in the Austrian wars as well as future ventures. Wars raged with other European countries in the early 1800s. Napoleon was able to beat the continental coalition, thus gaining territory for France. France annexed some of Italy but also controlled states such as Spain, Holland ...
With all the glory and the splendour that some countries may have experienced, never has history seen how only only one man, Napoleon, brought up his country, France, from its most tormented status, to the very pinnacle of its height in just a few years time. He was a military hero who won splendid land-based battles, which allowed him to dominate most of the European continent. He was a man with ambition, great self-control and calculation, a great strategist, a genius; whatever it was, he was simply the best. But, even though how great this person was, something about how he governed France still floats among people's minds. Did he abuse his power? Did Napoleon defeat the purpose of the ideals of the French Revolution? After all of his success in his military campaigns, did he gratify the people's needs regarding their ideals on the French Revolution? This is one of the many controversies that we have to deal with when studying Napoleon and the French Revolution. In this essay, I will discuss my opinion on whether or not was he a destroyer of the ideals of the French Revolution.
How did a man with a promising military career loose it so quickly? Napoleon was one of the greatest military minds but did not always use it correctly, which eventually led to his downfall. This essay will explain what led to the downfall of Napoleon.
For many Canadians, looking for news updates on politics, sports, entertainment, music and so on is something that is done daily. In order to keep up with the news people use different many different platforms such as, the TV, word of mouth, social media, online news organizations and search engines. Each and every one of those formats have their own strengths and weaknesses so people must pick and choose exactly which or those formats are worth their time. Personally, I like to use any format that is easily accessible and that I can get while just doing my day's daily activities, which therefore should not required any extra work to actually find. According to those standards, I have chosen to get me to get my daily news updates, from social
Napoleon Bonaparte, the son of Carlo and Letizia Bonaparte, was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on August 15, 1768. In 1779, he was sent to a military school in Paris. He was made fun of by the French there, and gave him the dream of power. Napoleon was waiting for the right time to achieve greater power, and that moment came when the French monarchy was overthrown.