Napoleon Bonaparte Flaws

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The Napoleonic Wars was a series of wars that took place between 1792 and 1815, which pitted France against various alliances of other European powers and led to French dominance and supremacy over most of Europe. When Napoleon rose to power, France’s aims in war shifted from spreading the effects of the French Revolution, to enhancing the reputation and increasing power, status, and wealth. Though a skilled military leader, Napoleon’s campaigns grew too ambitious as his main focus in carrying out these plans was to make him more powerful, and the more power he gained, the more he craved. As head of state and head of government, Napoleon’s main duty should have been maintaining France’s stability economically and politically. However, although …show more content…

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 …show more content…

The fall of absolutism and the rise of nationalism dramatically changed and unified multiple city - states. The transformation of Italy, for instance, under Napoleonic rule is perceived as critical to the Risorgimento, also known as Italian unification. As a result, nationalism emerged in these parts of Europe, promoted by the French in Italy and also emerged in Germany as a reaction to French occupation and political domination (European History Online). This proves that the Napoleonic Era became a crucial period in the transition from an intellectual movement in the eighteenth century, to nineteenth-century nationalism. In addition, the Napoleonic Era saw significant changes in the world map. The abolition of the Holy Roman Empire and replacing it with the Confederation of the Rhine is seen widely as the beginning of modern Germany (European History Online). The founding of various nation states, including Germany and Italy, stems from ideas derived from the Napoleonic Era beginning the process and shaping the future of European history. Furthermore, in most European countries, the ideas brought about by the Napoleonic Era created a significant impact. Following the wars, European monarchs found it challenging to restore absolutism and had to settle for reforms brought about by the Napoleonic Era. “Institutional

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