Napoleon Bonaparte
The ideas of modern war can lead back to the 18th century during a certain campaign by a French military leader. This military leader was named Napoleon Bonaparte. He started a campaign against Western Europe that defined war and his strategies echoed throughout time up until the Second World War. His strategic plans were legendary up until his biggest mistake, which was invading Russia during its winter during the battles in the Waterloo Campaign.
Before you can get into how he became a military genius you have breakdown how is life really was before his military career began. Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15th 1769 to Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer and political opportunist, and his wife, Marie-Letizia Buonaparte. The Buonaparte's were a wealthy family from the Corsican nobility, although when compared to the great aristocracies of France Napoleon's kin were poor and pretentious. Due to his parents connections he was able to enter the Military academy in Brienne in 1779. He moved to the Parisian Ecole Royale Militaire in 1784 and graduated a year later as a second lieutenant in the Artillery. When the civil war broke out the Buonaparte’s fled to France and adopted the French version of their name Bonaparte. When the political situation in France flipped around, Napoleon was tried for treason, but if not for his roots in politics, he would have been executed but his families connections saved him from death. In 1795 Napoleon became a hero again and helped fight the revolutionary forces off. As a result of that, he grew to be one of the most respected military leaders in France.
In 1796 Napoleon was given control of an Italian army which helped defeat Austria. After that campaign he returned to France as a bigger hero than he originally was, but had to leave in 1798 to Egypt and Syria in order to threaten England’s imperialistic rule in Africa. Napoleon and his army returned in the August of 1799. Shortly after he took part in the Brumaire coup of November 1799, finishing as a member of the Consulate, France's new ruling triumvirate.
In the Novel by Robert M. Epstein, his military background was identified and how he planned his attacks were broken down so that the average person could understand them. He was the individual who introduced the ideas of modern warfare to the global affairs. The de...
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...w warfare. Also since there was a new air force being used, there had to be certain precautionary measures to be taken in order to thwart off the planes, thus the birth of flak cannons. These shot shards of metal not the sky to shoot down the planes. Finally the most important piece of technology that was introduced in World War Two was the Hydrogen and Atomic Bombs; which were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. These two pieces of weaponry ended World War Two in the pacific front and in the world.
Having Technology is was makes your Militaries, Navies, and Air forces modern, a strong battle plan is a great thing to have but that doesn’t make warfare modern. This is what gave certain forces the advantage over their opponents. Weaponry kills people, not the plans themselves. To have a significant advantage over your opponent is what conquering is all about, and that is what new advancements did. Even though Napoleon was a military genius and developed new theories on war, they didn’t make war fare modern, technology did.
Bibliography
Napoleon's Last Victory and the Emergence of Modern War, Epstein, Robert M. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. N.p.: University P of Kansas, June.
World War Warfare was one of the greatest examples of technological advancement and strategic challenge, with the introduction of inventions such as the aircraft and the tank the battlefield transformed from attrition as scene in the early years of the war to decisive by the end of the war.
The first war to use significant technological advancement was World War I. Despite the introduction of trench warfare (in which troops dug bases many feet deep into the ground and fought only on the surface), the art of battle would forever be changed. There were many different types of weaponry advancements experienced in World War I. Machine guns were built twice more powerful than in the Civil War, firing up to 600 bullets a minute which was the equivalent of 250 riflemen. Artillery experienced a massive technological progression with the building of several thousands of powerful cannons with shells filled with ...
Kreis, Steven. “Europe and the Superior Being: Napoleon.” The History Guide: Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History. 13 May. 2004. 6 Dec. 2004.
Napoleon was considered a hero for what he did for France by the way he ruled and sought out justice for his country. The revolution affected Napoleon by causing opportunities for Napoleon to quickly move up the chain of command until he was a general at the age of twenty four. He ended the revolution in 1799 and was then named "France's first Consul" by 1800. Although he was considered a dictator, he ended the French Revolution which compromised of violent, pointless death that came with the Terror and then the Great Terror. Within a year he had ended all conflicts and brought Europe long awaited peace.
...eaponry and sophisticated machines, this total could have been reduce by nearly half and showed how destructive these weapons were. Technology in World War I laid a foundation for even more powerful and deadly weapons such as the nuclear bomb. Technology made war even more bloody and destructive then it already was.
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 was not only a great leader, he was also a military genius. As a military genius, Napoleon won many battles to expand France and was always welcomed back to France as a hero. His use of strategic warfare throughout many battles allowed him to be seen as a hero not only in France but all of Europe. Although his army was outnumbered by the Russians and Austrians on December 2, 1805, Napoleon's brilliant strategies resulted in a defeat of the opposing armies in the Battle of Austerlitz.
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
It is interesting and even surprising that the two major strategies regarding war were developed by European contemporaries of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) approached his philosophy of war in a structured, scientific manner. Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) took a more fluid, open-ended approach to his philosophy of war. The fact that they lived during the same time period in Europe is also fascinating in that they likely knew of each others’ writings as well as potentially influenced and were influenced by the philosophy of the other. Jomini’s scientific approach is more applicable to the tactical and operational levels of war while Clausewitz approaches war as more of an art or interaction between people that is more appropriate to the strategic and political levels of war. Although their two war strategies are presented as opposing strategies, by comparing concepts from each of the theorists to the other theorist’s work shows that they are actually more complementary than competing in that they are addressing different levels of war. The concepts to be evaluated are Clausewitz’s “Trinity of War”, “war as a continuation of politics”, and the “unpredictability of war” as well as Jomini’s definition of strategy and his “Fundamental Principle of War”.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15th, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. Napoleon emerged as an important figure for reestablishing order in France. Unfortunately, Napoleon’s greed for power led to his fall. He began as a great military leader. He had many goals to organize France and make it a better empire, but the more he accomplished the more he wanted. He made political, economic and social changes in France. He was a determined man and would do anything to get what he wanted.
Napoleon Bonaparte as a leader was skilled and clever in combat but had considerable flaws when it came to maintaining France’s stability. France was set back politically and economically as a result of the war, seeing that Napoleon and his ambitions were not able to make peace with enemies. To further note, tensions arising from Napoleon’s conquests pit several parts of Europe against each other and eventually spilled out of Europe and led to additional conflicts. However, when analyzing the Napoleonic Era despite his flaws as a leader, created great reforms and substantially changed the course of human history. By influencing the rise of nationalism and unification, the Napoleonic Era prompted the transformation of city - states and introduced radical ideas. Though Napoleon’s ambitions sparked a significant amount of conflict in Europe, it is evident that the result of the Napoleonic Era created significant long - term reforms and was a pivotal period for Europe and the
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 ...
When we think of Napoleon, we think of massive military conquest comparable to the Roman Empire. However, there are also the numerous reforms he made to domestic policy during his reign of 1799 to 1815. There are three main viewpoints relating to his domestic policy. The first is by Godechot who believed Napoleon "changed the history of France and the world". He thought that Napoleon's policies truly benefited France. However, a contrary viewpoint is made by Seward who thought Napoleon was a demagogue who had an "obsession with power". A third median of the two extremes was proposed by Soboul. Soboul thought that Napoleon advantaged France in some ways but hindered in others.