Napoleon Bonaparte: Democratic Reformer or Dictator? A dictator is a ruler with total power over a country, this position is typically obtained by force. Dictators have full control over the government and oftentimes subjects ruled by a dictator suffer and are oppressed in some way or may have some of their rights taken away from them. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of France's most successful military generals. He proved himself in wars across Europe and Africa during the French Revolution which made him famous and highly respected in France. This reputation is what allowed Napoleon to rise to power over France. November 1799, the 18th Brumaire coup, Napoleon was part of a group that overthrew the French Directory. They replaced it with a three-member …show more content…
Well, does anyone have any cause for complaint? ... The government is strong, my hand is steady, and my enemies are sensible enough to know that I shall not be slacken” (Document 7). Here Napoleon is expressing his belief that no one should complain about his love for power because, under his rule, France had become better and stronger. This quote demonstrates how Napoleon believed he was the source of all of France's successes. He talks about his love for power and how he will not relinquish it. This demonstrates that Napoleon is unwilling to take criticism or even fathom the idea that he has flaws because he believes he is the best and no one should think otherwise. Napoleon was self-centered and wanted to improve his own life more than the lives of his people. Additionally, Napoleon was a dictator because of his power-hungry nature. In a letter to his brother Joseph, Napoleon wrote, “I will be master everywhere in France and of everything,... I like people to please me, and to fall in love with my ideas. I am master today” (Document 5). In this quote, Napoleon writes of his desire to control everything in France and have people follow him without …show more content…
However, all the real power belonged to the First Consul, Napoleon, who had the authority to appoint members to the Senate and other crucial positions. Which solidified his power, making sure he would remain in power for as long as possible. Here, many critics may argue that Napoleon was a democratic reformer because he fought for liberty for the people of Italy. In Napoleon's proclamation to his troops in Italy in 1796, he proclaimed, “People of Italy, the French army comes to break your chains... Your property, your religion, and your customs will be respected. We are waging war as generous enemies, and we wish only to crush the tyrants who enslave you” (Document 2). In other words, Napoleon reassures the people of Italy that the French army aims only to free them and will respect their property, religion, and customs, fighting only against tyrants. On one hand, critics are right to say that Napoleon was a democratic reformer because he helped the people of Italy regain freedom by fighting against
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.
I guess you could say that when Napoleon is not on a horse, he’s Napoleoff it! In November 1799, the overthrowing of the French Directory caused its replacement with a three-member Consulate, and Napoleon became first consul, making him France’s leading political figure. Napoleon used his power to restore stability to post-revolutionary France and produced successful results. Two years after the making of the constitutional amendment that made him consul for life, Napoleon crowned himself as emperor of France. This raises the question, “Was Napoleon a Democratic Reformer?” Now, a Democratic Reformer is a person who changes the views and ways of the government for the good of the people. Concerning how he understands equality, how the people
Napoleon: Swing between the Black and White The arguments about Napoleon Bonaparte have never stopped hundreds of years after his death. Hero or Tyrant - or a Tyrant? The answer is just as complex as the question. Napoleon is still one of the most controversial historical figures today.
...oppressor of the French people, the restoration of France’s credibility after the turmoil of the Revolution cannot simply be ignored. An ambitious and determined leader from the beginning, this “Second-Class Frenchmen” proved to be an indispensable Hero of European History. Always desiring the best for himself and his country, Napoleon’s drive and thirst to prove himself gave him the motivation to set big goals and to accomplish them. Although consistently faced with threats and attacks from his enemies, Napoleon persevered with courage, always summoning the strength to fight back. Many of the reforms made during Napoleon’s rule continued the enforcing of equality in France that were so desired during the French Revolution. A staple of historical discussion and debate, the Not-So-Little Corporal will forever continue to be recognized as an icon of France’s history.
The rich history of Europe is a beautifully created story ranging from romance, art, and prosperity, to bloody warfare, world powers, and deception. Certain rulers, whether monarchs, dictators, or a body of people in power, have shown clear traits of their true purposes. Possibly being either angelic, and looking out for the good of the world, or sinister, selfish, and searching for domination. The majority of dictators are frowned upon, however some were considered saviors, heros, legends to the people. Napoleon, however, is not one of these mythical people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a prodigious general of warfare, having gone to military school at the age of 9, and succeeding exceptionally. He won a series
Napoleon Bonaparte should be considered a “benevolent despot” to a near-full extent because while some may argue that Napoleon’s political actions were solely based on self-empowerment due to him limiting the voice of the people, it is important to note that Napoleon’s regime was designed for the purpose of benefiting French society as a whole by implementing various French Revolutionary ideals such as the promise of equal rights amongst all citizens. Hence, through incorporating such ideals, Napoleon was able to gain the support of his subjects, and therefore was able to further expand his empire.
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 Bonaparte, Corsican and Republican, General and Emperor, came from relatively humble beginnings to reshape France and shake the world. Most people remember Napoleon as the dictator who ruled France with an iron hand, who made an ill-fated invasion of Russia and who lost the Battle of Waterloo effectively ending his reign. The circumstances surrounding his rise to the Consulate and eventually Emperor of the French is less known. Eric Hobsbawn said in his book Age of Revolution 1789-1848 that, “Power was half thrust upon him, half grasped by him when the foreign invasions of 1799 the Directory’s feebleness and his own indispensability.” The truth of Hobsbawm’s assertion is what we will attempt to discover.
Napoleon was a graduate from military school and was immediately given command of a French Regiment. After leading his men in several pivotal battles in the French Revolution, he was considered a hero by a majority of the French. Along with several high-ranking French officials, he successfully completes a coup d'état, or overthrow, of the Directory. Napoleon named himself "First Consul" for ten years; but after rewriting the Constitution, he established his power indefinitely. Napoleon devised a series of wars to overthrow European governments. When the French overthrew a government, they quickly established a new one; the locals were treated fairly, and the objective was to have one unified government in Europe.
Throughout the history Europe, kings and dictators have been notorious for their unquenchable thirst for power and complete domination; the lure of absolute supremacy and total allegiance was too tempting to disregard. Some made their way by the rights of birth, others by scheming their path through politics. But none are as infamous than that of Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. Both Napoleon and Caesar achieved great glory by bringing their countries out of the turmoil that followed the revolutionary ages, utilizing their political and military support as well as their outstanding tactics in warfare. Though Caesar had major accomplishments, Napoleon receives the most praise for his work in creating efficient governmental systems, along with his feats in the military.
The thing that topped it off was the fact that the Code Napoleon did not allow changes for the different countries. These facts prove without a doubt that Napoleon lied to his people so they would support him. While he was doing this lying he managed to kill off most of a generation of French, which left France behind in the Industrial Revolution, and turn the Republic that the revolution had fought for back into a Monarchy. V
Napoleon Bonaparte did establish a dictatorship within France during his reign as Emperor. He introduced reforms that seemed to contradict the ideals and goals of the Revolution. However, the changes that he did make were usually improvements of those ideals or laws put in place to achieve those ideals through means that appeared anti-revolutionary and they transformed France into a superpower.
Napoleon is credited with the way he reformed France for the better because he was a lot more lenient and intelligent with how he led the people of France unlike Louis XVI. He rose through military ranks quickly and was loved dearly by the people of France. His tactics were perfectly timed when he waged wars with countries for dominion over their lands. Some of his strategies for how he became ruler of France and almost all of Europe included: letting the peasants of France receive their properties that were taken from them by the First and Second Estates, driving British Forces out of France, and making friends and relatives in charge of ruling the lands he conquered. However, every emperor has a downfall and Napoleon’s came in the form of his soldiers dying due to the harsh and terribly Russian winter of 1812 when he led them against Tsar Alexander I for his decision to leave the Continental
Throughout the decade of the revolution, France did not have a centralized government and was stricken by a series of upheavals and instability. It wasn’t until after the revolution that Napoleon discovered the need for a strong centralized state in order to consolidate the revolutionary advances in a bid to build stability. Napoleon wanted to prosper with the benefits of the revolution and steer France to establish a stable foundation to institutionalize the gains of the revolution by enacting proper administrative framework. Napoleon came in as a shrewd administrator who would serve to convert the gains of the revolution and establish a humane French territory where the three principles of the revolution could be observed. I would argue that “Napoleon was a champion of the French revolution and steered the revolution principles to fruition”.(Martyn. L. 1...