Was Napoleon A Hero?

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries European countries were rapidly increasing in scientific discovery, increased population, and partaking in various wars. During Napoleon’s reign he dominated both the French and European history. Many people believe that Napoleon was a hero, while others think that he was a corrupt individual. He was said to be the birth and also the ending result of the French Revolution. There is a lot of controversy regarding this issue, depending on which book you read or who you talk to.
Napoleon came at a time when society was struggling to gain equality in education and religion. He fulfilled that void in society and gained respect in the process. He was a military expert from experience and from

educating himself on successful military leaders. When Napoleon became a commander, he created a well discipline army that led to many victories, such as in Austria. He was a charming gentleman that took care of his army by providing them with food and clothing instead of treating them with disrespect. This led him to the winning of many battles for his country as a result he gained a lot of respect from his country. Napoleon established a freedom of religion, which was against the pope’s wishes. While signing the Concordat, Napoleon was suppose to reaffirm Catholicism as the states religion, but instead he recognized that Catholicism was the religion of a majority of the French people. He gained many supporters due to the fact that society was able to choose who they wanted to worship. Before Napoleon France did not have a single set of laws, but rather three hundred legal systems. He created a system that consisted to seven codes with the Civil Code being the most important. It preserved the principle of equality of all citizens before the law, the right of individuals to choose their professions, religious toleration, and the abolition of serfs and feudalism. Some of Napoleon’s other achievements was the creation of a centralized administrative system, and an efficient tax collection. Most of his achievements laid the foundations for the modern state.
Though he may seem like a hero he was also known to be a tyrant for many reasons during his reign. He created a system of government where he gained full control also called a totalitarian authority. The coup d’etat of 1799 was a new form of the Republic that limited the power of the government. Napoleon gained an overwhelming amount of control over the legislative and executive branches, appointed members of the bureaucracy, controlled the army, and conducted foreign affairs. Many people were against his dictatorship, but he had an enormous influence over society at this time. He also lost respect when individual’s liberty was lost to despotism. Though the Civil Codes of law allowed for equality, in reality it did not live up to those standards. He learned quickly that he was able to manipulate individuals to sacrifice for their leader and nation, instead of gaining rights for the people. Napoleon ended up controlling all aspects of the French society. He was also known to have no remorse for his actions of killing people in the French society or people he was in battle with. Napoleon was worshipped by his troops, but he did not return the loyalty. He even several times abandoned his troops when he was on the losing end.
I think it is hard to say for sure of he was a hero or tyrant. He did make many accomplishments in the French laws, but in the end I feel he did more damage than good regarding how many people’s lives that were lost during his reign. He gained control of everything without caring whose lives were lost along the way. Napoleon killed people in his own French society as well as people in other territories he fought for land over.
Throughout our education careers we have learned about Hitler and Stalin’s brutal actions toward people in their societies. How do you think Napoleon’s totalitarian styles relates to that of Stalin’s or Hitler’s?