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Napoleon Bonaparte can be described as a Hero or Tyrant and it may even be a fair assertion to suggest he was both. Napoleon ended the French Revolution after 10 years of political and economical instability, he implemented significant civil reform, he implemented the ideals of the Revolution by advancing people from all ranks of society and he sowed the seeds of a free democratic republic to neighboring countries mired in their own outdate regimes.
These achievements were particularly significant because of who was behind achieving these accomplishments. He was not of any Royal lineage nor did he have any significant Nobility. A commoner would rise and become an Emperor, something that was probably unfathomably inconceivable, even by the
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However it also addressed many shortcomings in the French constitution that impeded the young ambitious Napoleon from aspiring for high-ranking positions that invigorated his supporters. He promoted and advanced people from all ranks of society on merit of what they could achieve and not nobility, wealth or ancestry privilege. The Bank of France was established to restore financial stability. He implemented public schools and fostered an atmosphere conducive for science.
Under the Code there would be no freedom of press, which meant that Napoleon could control the propaganda, which would spread the Napoleon and reach across bordered to people who found the Code favorable. There would be a Centralized State authority, however this ushered in the Concordat 1801, which recognized the Catholic and brought about freedom of religion in France with the use of appointed Bishops and clergy to ensure State control.
The Napoleon Code was revolutionary and aided in many of Napoleons conquests across Europe as it appealed to commoners that felt oppressed by their monarch
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However with Napoleon’s conquest across Europe, there wasn’t an army large enough to finally quash the Haitian revolution. Despite the ideals Napoleon was spreading across Europe it was apparent that those ideals did not extend to the colonies and its slaves, perhaps because of the value of these colonies that produced goods cheaply with slave labor and produced revenue critical for Napoleons ambitions. Nonetheless Napoleon sent an army of forty thousand troops to suppress the revolution in
During his rule, Napoleon called himself an emperor, but he acted like the kings before him. The French Revolution stood against the idea of one leader with all authority over one country and promoted liberty, equality, and fraternity. The French citizens did not glorify Napoleon as a king because he gave his people sovereignty over political situations. He used plebiscites or voting to spread equality, however, the majority was always in favor of Napoleon. This happened due to fear because he was the strongest man in Europe at the time. He idolized himself as a hero, saving the French people from the
Napoleon just maintains the goals of the French Revolution since he needed to secure and reinforce his own energy.
Napoleon was an emperor, military officer, husband, and father to many. He ruled France before being exiled and lived a long life, leaving behind a lasting legacy and impression that most people will not forget.
While the French Revolution was inspired by the American, the Haitian Revolution was inspired by the French. The previously mentioned “declaration for the rights of man” was written not only for France, but as an international guideline. The revolutionary idea of liberty for all was a desperate need for all of Saint Domingue, especially the slaves. Revolutionaries like Toussaint L’Overture adopted the ideas of the oppressed Third Estate to build their own revolutions against slave owners, and France France wasn’t as lucky. Unlike the Haitian Revolution, the French Revolution had minimal effect.
Napoleon had been influenced and guided by the revolution, but he was able to use it to his ends. One of Napoleons greatest strengths was being able to take advantage of a situation, and he certainly was able to utilize the chaos and fear of the revolution. He is forever intertwined with the French Revolution, and it with him.
The French Revolution was full of bloodshed and hurt. Even though many think that the French Revolution did nothing, there are many important events that took place. Much of what we have today is in place, because of how the French Revolution ended. As a new empire was rising up, a leader was called forth to unify the rebellious parties of the dissipating French Revolution. Many will argue that the acts of this man were at first of great benefit to his country, but then were made to feed his yearn for power and total dominance of Europe. This man was named Napoleon Bonaparte; however, he will later be known as Napoleon I Emperor of France. Napoleon; however, was not the first to be leader of the revolution, he was one of
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.
The first step in Napoleon’s failed effort was to regain the French colony of Sainte-Domingue, which was being ruled by Toussaint L’Ouveture, a leader of the rebel military. Bonaparte’s motivation to recover the island of Sainte-Domingue stemmed from two key factors. His principal reason for wanting to salvage the island was to restore the sugar industry and slave labor in the region. If Napoleon was successful, with regards to this objective, he could successfully launch the Louisiana Territory as his North American empire. The rebellion at Saint-Domingue is essential to the Louisiana Purchase because each phase of Napoleon’s plan was met with resistance from the natives and the generals. Furthermore, a correlation exists as a result of Bonaparte’s failure to accomplish his goal of restoring Saint-Domingue to its days under French rule where slavery was a cornerstone; the defeat of the French during this revolt was the turning point at which Napoleon realized he needed money more than an empire in America. These objectives can be corroborated with an excerpt from “Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase: A Special Presentation from the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress” which
He also was able to get an easy supply of taxes and soldiers under his new and improved French government. Before he could get very far, however, he had to gain public favor and shape the public opinion. To do this he used reforms of propaganda and thus caused people to think that they were getting the better end of the deal, but were actually, subconsciously giving Napoleon their approval for his actions. Among some of the methods he used for propaganda included getting all of the printers and book sellers to swear an oath to Napoleon and all newspapers fell under state control, so Napoleon gained access to almost everything that the citizens of France were able to read. Many of the gains from the French Revolution were kept, such as equality before the law, and careers open to talent.
Lyons, Martin. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution. London: Macmillen, 1994. Print.
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.
During the Napoleonic reign, the biggest reform appeared to be the loss of hereditary rights of the upper class citizens. Before Napoleon became a king, a lot of jobs were inherited. The purchase of the offices was rather common and skills were not required. Revolution believed in equality. Napoleon established that equality by granting everyone equal right to attempt the job. Now the positions were given out based on merit only. This change created fairness and limited the rights of the nobles at the same time. France was not the only country that felt the influence of the Napoleonic reform. Italian and German aristocrats were overthrown as well, and the weakening of the Spanish nobility even led to the revolt.
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.
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.
Napoleon Bonaparte is often seen as a tyrant, however; through Napoleon’s strong tactics and military leadership he led France through a time of great turmoil and provided the stability and guidance France so desperately needed. During his reign, Napoleon was able to bring an end to the French Revolution, a series of wars that had fractured the French at their core. After the resolution of the revolution, Napoleon developed the Civil Code or Napoleonic code to unite all of France under one governing law. The Civil Code blended the governing laws of the Roman law practiced in the South with the customary law practiced in the North. Through the Code, Napoleon brought unity to France, improved the rights and lives of citizens, and allowed for France’s own growth and development. The Civil Code is considered one of Napoleon’s