Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader following the French Revolution who conquered much of Europe and crowned himself emperor of France. He attended military school when he was young and worked his way up to become a military leader. Bonaparte had a major impact on many of Europe's territories, governments, and economies during the early 19th century; so much so that after his reign, the Congress of Vienna was created to rebuild the nations of Europe. Many people view Napoleon's impacts as accomplishments, specifically those who wanted change from the centuries of monarchy, one family being in power, and wanted to see a shift in power. However, others viewed these ideas and changes to their existing society as failures and setbacks …show more content…
Barry O’Meara, Napoleon stated, “No one should get special treatment based on birth or fortune,” (Document 8). In other words, Napoleon believed that people shouldn’t be judged by their status, but instead their ability. People had to work towards their desired status in their society, rather than being given a label based on their history. Additionally, in an article about Napoleon called “Napoleon Forges an Empire,” the author explains that at the schools that Napoleon ran, students of all backgrounds were accepted. This supports the idea that Napoleon was a democratic reformer because he didn’t discriminate against people because of their birth or wealth. Thus, he gave everyone an equal opportunity to educate themselves and participate in the French government. Napoleon was also a great leader because he created public schools. After Napoleon was appointed Consul of the French Republic he expressed that, “Of all our institutions, public education is the most important. Everything depends on it, the present and the future.”(Document 3). Napoleon's point was that education is critical to the French society's success in the future. Napoleon demonstrated that he prioritized education when he created public schools, called
Napoleon just maintains the goals of the French Revolution since he needed to secure and reinforce his own energy.
Moreover, he adjusted and increased widespread education to edify secondary students (high schoolers), teachers, girls, along with several middle-class citizens, according to J. David Markham’s article (The Revolution, Napoleon, and Education, 2010). Enlightenment, while very important to Bonaparte, was not his primary goal in perfecting France, as he mostly endeavored in reorganizing law and order for his
Although he inspired new social, economic, and political ideas, Napoleon Bonaparte is better known for his military tactics. Even today, his battle plans are used and studied by many in the military. Napoleon, who started out as an extremely short and wimpy foreigner who rose to become Emperor of France, died in 1821 at St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic. He was fifty-two years old. Th cause is uncertain: either he was poisoned or he died of a stomach ailment.
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 took 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 for the republics of the future.
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 was a great soldier that graduated from military school at the age of sixteen and quickly worked his way through the ranks. Napoleon was a brilliant leader in battle and consistently defeated armies larger than his own; including when he forced the Austrians to make peace after defeating four of their generals. In 1799 Napoleon and his colleagues overtook the French government and established power. He revised the constitution in 1802 to make himself consul for life, and then again in 1804 to make himself Emperor of France. Soon after Napoleon came to power he restructured the administration, simplified the court system, and began monitoring the schooling system; French law was also put in the Napoleon Code which guaranteed the rights and liberties that were gained through the revolution. Napoleons violent behavior caused war with Britain to break out, who allied with Russia and Austria. Prussia later allied themselves with Russia; creating a huge alliances against France and Napoleon. Napoleon successfully extended his reign over large parts of Europe and put each state under the Napoleon Code, which gave citizens new rights and privileges. In 1812 all of Europe turned against Napoleon, which lead to his exile in 1814. He regained power in 1815 just to loose it later that year. He died in exile in Saint Helena in 1821.
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.
Evaluate Napoleon -- Was he a success or a failure? Support your thesis with five well-developed examples.
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 ruled France from November 1799 until 1815 when he was taken out of power and exiled to Elba. When discussing Napoleon Bonaparte one usually thinks about the damage that he caused all throughout Europe. He conquered and killed many and he ruined the balance of power in Europe. He was a menace to the reigning powers throughout the entirety of his rule. Before Napoleon, France was a country that was in the midst of a revolution and had a very weak government.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a revolutionary figure who played a significant role in France’s expansion. He was not said to have been the most intelligent person on the French army, but he made a large impact that is remembered by millions today. Similarly, in the book, Animal Farm, Boxer had a major impact on Manor Farm. Boxer was an enormous and strong horse. He was thought of as an animal who was hardworking but very gullible and unintelligent.
The French Revolution inspired the idea that the subjects of any government have the right to freedom, politically, socially, and economically. The citizens of France needed a strong, powerful leader to take initiative and set France back on the track to become the great nation that it once was. Therefore, Napoleon was able to quickly rise through the ranks as a military commander, eventually crowning himself Emperor of France. Once Emperor, he led France to become a prosperous nation, while promoting, but also sacrificing some goals of the Revolution. Napoleon, “.would govern in the interests of the people as an enlightened but absolute ruler,”(7).
Napoleon’s “ideal” citizen left little room for religious persuasion. He viewed education as a way to indoctrinate the masses with the right principles. This meant removing the church’s control over education placing it under the state. Unfortunately, the 1801 Concordat, which to Napoleon was simply a diversion tactic to appease the church, gave them undisputable leeway in forming the school’s curriculum. This allowed for the establishment of religious elementary schools.
Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered for his military successes around the world, but is rarely regarded for his great success of reforming France in his short 11 year reign. But Napoleon did more than just have a strong military career. Napoleon Bonaparte reformed France into a country that had values and policies that were ahead of its century. Napoleon is prestige remembered for being a little vicious military genius and strategist. His military success led him to travelling all around the world beating uncanny odds and striking fear into his enemies’ eyes. His military success even led him to capture the powerful nation of Italy and become its supreme ruler for a short term. Not all the change Napoleon Bonaparte made to France was military. The change within Frances borders formerly consists in the way education was run in France, the political standpoint of France, and mostly importantly the Napoleon Code which has many values that France and many democratic countries use today.
Napoleon Bonaparte is seen by many today as a careless dictator that oppressed his people and cared only for his personal power. Although this was a large part of his personality, Napoleon was more than that. Napoleon Bonaparte was a strategic military genius that conquered most of the European continent and also made advances in French civil liberties.