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Napoleon Bonaparte rise and fall
Napoleon's actions in the French revolution
Napoleon Bonaparte rise and fall
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Given his significance throughout the late 1700s and the early 1800’s, Napoleon Bonaparte has been deemed a controversial figure by many historians. Born Napoleone di Buonaparte, he was a French military leader and a political figure who was feared by many and hailed as a military genius by others. Notwithstanding the praise, Napoleon disguised policies of his own interests as reforms that served the needs of the state. An analysis of the Napoleonic Code, Napoleon Bonaparte’s excessive use of military force and his reintroduction of Catholicism through the Concordat of 1801, provides a balanced overview of Napoleon as a corrupt leader. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest masters of propaganda. Various forms of press, laws, documents However, the ideas of female equality received a setback. The Napoleonic Code made the authority of men over their families stronger and deprived women of any individual rights. White adult males were considered above the law and given numerous privileges. This generalization instituted by Napoleon promoted gender inequality and racism. “Women are nothing but machines for producing children”- Napoleon Bonaparte. Women lost rights that they gained in the French Revolution. For example, women were not allowed to vote. When women were married, their husbands controlled all of their assets, money and property. A wife “owed” obedience to her husband and could not do anything without his permission, which included divorcing him. Under certain circumstances men could legally kill their wives if they found them to be unfaithful. To avoid this some women chose not to marry. However, under the Napoleonic Code, those who chose not to marry had fewer rights and could not be a legal guardian or receive wills. Moreover, the Napoleonic Code disenfranchised women in every sense by As a former high-ranked military leader, Napoleon manipulated those into believing he was a Revolutionary hero. It was Napoleon’s so called “nationalism” that was responsible for millions of deaths. The innocent lives he took and countless countries and towns he destroyed can only be compared in modern history to Hitler and Stalin. Napoleon had an appetite for war, beginning with the 23 year period of the Napoleonic Wars. The wars stemmed from unresolved conflicts brought by the French Revolutionary Wars. In these wars, France faced the First and Second Coalitions. The size of France’s military was larger than the other opposing armies because Napoleon subjected civilians to conscription. Under Napoleon’s reign, families were forced to sacrifice their sons. Despite their size, the French lost control of Germany and Italy. The Napoleonic Wars divided France and threw much of Europe into turmoil. “Death is nothing, but to live defeated & inglorious is to die daily”- Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was a power- hungry leader who only cared about winning wars. The 19th century witnessed death and slaughter on an unprecedented scale. Many people were slaughtered to satisfy Napoleon’s megalomaniac needs. Military deaths are invariably put at between 2.5 million to 3.5 million and civilian death tolls vary from 750,000 to 3 million. Thus there is an estimated of 3,250,000 to 6,500,000
Napoleon Bonaparte’s attitude towards the French Revolution is one that has often raised questions. That the revolution had an influence on Bonaparte’s regime cannot be denied – but to what extent? When one looks at France after Napoleon’s reign it is clear that he had brought much longed for order and stability. He had also established institutions that embodied the main principles of the revolution. However, it is also evident that many of his policies directly contradict those same principles. Was Napoleon betraying the same revolution that gave him power, or was he merely a pragmatist, who recognised that to consolidate the achievements of the revolution he needed to sacrifice some of those principles?
After the Reign of Terror, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to authority. When he was in power, Napoleon only kept some of the ideas that were used in the French Revolution. For example he was for equality, but disregarded liberty. Napoleon started many wars for France, in hopes of gaining land. France did win some land, but more times than not France lost the wars, putting them into extreme war debt.
Napoleon Bonaparte, an unparalleled military commander who conquered most of Europe around the early 1800’s, invaded Russia in 1812, who was under the rule of Tsar Alexander at the time, lost three quarters of his Grande Armee which was composed of soldiers from all over Europe totaling 600,000 soldiers. This part of history is the most talked about and studied military campaign even today by scholars and military school alike. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 was a extraordinary expedition that shocked the French Empire to its foundation and led to its eventual collapse just a year later. This Historiographic comparative
France entered into the Napoleonic Wars as a result of the French Revolution and the European sovereigns’ opposition to the creation of the French republic out of the fear that such ideas of democracy may spread to neighboring nations and remove the monarchs from their thrones through revolutions. The actions of these nations only served to ironically lead to the spreading of French idealism across the continent during France’s peak of military prowess. By alienating and siding against France, France entered into war with the “Coalitions” of European Monarchies and under Napoleon’s rule, conquered their opposition and under their rule, learned of the French ideology of Demo...
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
The citizens of France, inspired by the enlightenment, desired a government run by the people. Marquis de Lafayette wrote, “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights; social distinctions may be based only upon general usefulness” (de Lafayette 783). The French wanted to bring equality to all classes. The French revolution brought much more social change than the American revolution. Inspired by Lafayette’s declaration that, “no group, no individual may exercise authority not emanating expressly therefrom” (de Lafayette 783), the class system was destroyed. The revolutionaries were open to ending slavery, however women remained marginalized within the social structure of France. Similarly to the American revolution, the enlightenment ideas that drove the French revolution were not applied to society as a
Two-hundred and ten years ago, the country of France was rapidly changing, whether for better or for worse was not yet known. At this time, young Napoleon Bonaparte was leading his fledgling empire in France. He was challenging all the laid down rules and regulations that had been in place within his country and Europe for hundreds of years. This year, however, he would enact a set of laws known as the Civil Code, which was later called the Napoleonic Code. This set of laws was one of Napoleon’s longest lasting effects on the world, as it “is still in effect today, and has served as the model for many other national codes, especially in Europe” (Princeton Review). It was this set of laws that laid down rules and guidelines that are seen as normal in a modern day sense, such as that all men are equal. These concepts were brand new to the period, and no leader had ever allowed such idea to be enacted. It went against what the kings and queens in Europe had fought so hard to maintain, the idea that aristocrats and priests were above commoners, and more importantly, above the law. The Civil Code would forever change the way the French governed their people, and how those people were represented in their government. One of the most significant aspects of it was that it protected private property, as well as restoring power to the males of the family. At this time, France was a country where you were born into your wealth and social status. However, this all changed with the Napoleonic Code as well. The society began moving towards a “merit-based society in which individuals qualify for education and employment because of talent rather than birth or social standing” (Bentley pg. 792). Among other things, the code improved education with...
One of Napoleon’s first areas of concern was in the strengthening of the French government. He created a strong centralized government and pretty much got rid of the hundreds of localized law codes that had existed during under the control of the monarchy. He also created an army of government officials. He had the entire country linked under a rational administration. 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. Some anti-revolution actions that Napoleon took included repressing liberty, restoring absolutism, and ending political liberty. He believed that allowing political freedom would end with a state of anarchy. He believed that he could solve these problems by acting in favor of the people’s interests as an enlightened desp...
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.
(the writer could not help herself) Napoleon is a timeless example of an enlightened despot. The Bible still has not fully recovered from the rationality of his church. His codified law system is still active in France and the great state of Louisiana. Mankind today clutches desperately at his social ideologies.
Napoleon was an outstanding military commander and enjoyed many successful campaigns. Napoleon maintained the Revolutionary syst...
Kirchberger, Joe H. The French Revolution and Napoleon. New York: Facts on File inc, 1989.
Napoleon uses propaganda to persuade the animals in his favor and to change history. He is able to use propaganda effectively because he has the brains to do so and has the power to make the other animals believe it. He knows that the other animals are not as
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.
Voltaire once stated, in France the traveler changed the laws as often as he changed horses. Prior to the revolution, France practiced under multiple laws and each region even used their own customs to govern. The North and South provided the greatest divide, the northern region of France practiced under customary law, whereas the South practiced under Roman law. The divide in laws within regions and throughout the entire state of France brought on turmoil and friction when the issues were brought before each region. France longed for a reform, arguing, “the law was so confusing that nobody, even the judges, were able to understand it with certainty and, therefore, people were at the mercy of the courts.” Napoleon sought to resolve the divide and unify France under the Civil Code and instate a law that individuals have legal rights and protection. Through the Civil Code, all regions and territories under France’s rule were governed under its law, thus eliminating the friction among the