Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica on August 15th, 1769 (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). Napoleon was a complex man who served in the revolutionary war working his way up in rank and ultimately using his military successes to gain political popularity and power (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). In 1799, Napoleon became the First Consul by overthrowing the directory and he would control France, eventually, making himself Emperor (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). This essay is going to expand on domestic and military accomplishments of Napoleon, as well as his greatest success and failure. Two domestic achievements of Napoleon were the reforms he made to education and the economy. Napoleon made reforms to the education system that would impact the primary, secondary, and technical schools, as well as colleges making a complete system for each to follow (“NAPOLEON.”). The University of France would also be established and would oversee the curriculum that would be taught as well as the licensing of teachers (“NAPOLEON.”). Napoleon also believed that it was important for France to be a leader when it pertained to the sciences and its application (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). The new education system would include science as an important aspect focusing on chemistry and physics (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). The economic reforms made by Napoleon would also be important for France as he was able to stabilize currency, and he would also support industry (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). Napoleon would also reform the tax system in France, require all government bodies to have a balanced budget, and create a central banking system, The Bank of France in 1800 (“NAPOLEON.”). In the Military Napoleon also had success one was ... ... middle of paper ... ...ilitary, he also had success working his way up the military ranks and spreading France's rule into Italy helping to launch his political career. In the military Napoleon also uses his knowledge of war and strategies to defeat nations like Russia and make treaties with Austria for peace. Even though Napoleon was skilled in the military, one of his biggest mistakes would happen during war in Moscow. He was overly confident and did not prepare for a battle that would last longer than he expected. When he arrives in Moscow he finds it burnt to the ground leaving his troops no shelter or food. Works Cited Kishlansky, Mark, Patrick Geary, and Patrick O'Brien. Civilization in the West. 7th ed. U.S.A: Pearson, 2008. Print. "NAPOLEON." GPS Faculty Pages. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
Only a year before Napoleon was born, Genoa had been forced to sell Corsica to France. In one of history’s amazing coincidences, this would forever tie Napoleon to France, even going so far as to change his name to a more French sounding name. Had Genoa kept hold of Corsica, Napoleon would have been born an Italian, and the thousands of books since written about him would have ceased to exist. Alas, fate had a role to play, and Napoleon found himself a part of a minor noble family in an island wishing for independence. From a young age Napoleon would wish to be a part of the struggle to regain sovereignty for Corsica. Here is where he would become fascinated with history in an attempt to write a history of his homeland. At that time one could not learn about history without learning about the great empire of Rome. This knowledge of Rome would influence Napoleon’s actions for the rest of his life.
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.
Napoleon established himself as the leader of France and ambitiously worked to make France the most powerful country in Europe. In 1799, Bonaparte carried out a coup on the First Republic of France government and installed himself as the ruler and first Consul.1 Eventually, he would go on to make this a lifetime position and even establish himself as the first Emperor of France. Britain and its Allied forces of Dutch, Belgian, German, and Prussian soldiers recognized Napoleon's growing strength and declared war on France, in 1803. The ensuing Napoleo...
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.
Napoleon was an outstanding military commander and enjoyed many successful campaigns. Napoleon maintained the Revolutionary syst...
Napoleon was a tyrant because he betrayed the French Revolution ideals of freedom, equality, and poverty. He was the closest person ever to uniting Europe, but did not get that done. He had so much power and used it to become a tyrant. Everyone hated him and would make fun of him .Cartoonists mocked him with cartoons, and people would laugh about how he was so short, but with a big hat, and belly. Napoleon made 3 main and big mistakes; the continental system, peninsular war, and invasion of Russia. Napoleon failed almost everything he did, very few were accomplished.
But, most importantly, Napoleon did what he thought would make his country stronger. 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 while under the control of the monarchy. He also created an army of government officials. He had the entire country linked under a rational administration.
Over two centuries after his death, Napoleon Bonaparte is revered by the contemporary world as a figure of authority, power, and a symbol of military eminence. The representation of a small man with a resonating supremacy and power has become a direct correlation to Napoleon. With this sovereignty, many actions that were injurious to France and its citizens are masked in spite of his positive achievements. Although the world shows a large amount of respect towards Napoleon, there is still dispute over whether he benefitted France during his time, as well as if he was a positive part of the French Revolution, or he was a power-
Misused intelligence and underestimated opponents were at the heart of Napoleon?s downfall. This was clearly shown at Moscow when the Russians outwitted him by using their scorched earth policy and not meeting him in battle as they agreed. With careful planning, the Russian invasion could have gone a lot better and maybe not have led to Napoleon?s downfall.
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.
Throughout Napoleon’s rule, many downfalls, as well as achievements took place. While many people died because of the wars surrounded by Napoleon, he also helped improve modern society through a series of political achievements. While Napoleon can be viewed as an overall hero, or overall tyrant, some could say that he falls in the middle based on his history of downfalls as well as advancements. During his time in power, Napoleon showed many actions that could be viewed of those of a tyrant. Throughout his reign a series of wars took place, later to be named the Napoleonic Wars.
Napoleon’s military career is what eventually led to his prominence. Napoleon began his military career above most of the other men his age. He rapidly made his way through the ranks eventually gaining a great support system. As the directory leaned more and more heavily upon the military, a coup d’état developed. Because of his military expertise, he immediately became first consul of France. The empire of France was soon to grow once Napoleon was in reign. In the 1790s the French army was near one million men, an advantage in the Austrian wars as well as future ventures. Wars raged with other European countries in the early 1800s. Napoleon was able to beat the continental coalition, thus gaining territory for France. France annexed some of Italy but also controlled states such as Spain, Holland ...
Economically, he forged France's economy out from the fire of revolution. Napoleon recognized that economic reform was essential to increase employment and restore confidence in the government's ability to foster economic growth. In 1800 he established the Bank of France. Modeled after the Bank of England, it was used to promote industry. As a result, the franc became the most stable currency in Europe. The Bank of France proved to be significant in the stabilization of the economy. This stabilization was necessary to be able to increase income and ensure the security of the nation. Furthermore, Napoleon refined tax collection by demanding 5% of every citizen's income and there were no tax exemptions based on class. Hundreds of officials were appointed to collect taxes on income and property. In 1880, 660 million francs were collected, exceedingly more than pre-revolutionary times. With more income, the government could spend on various social programs for the people.
Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the famous figures in French history by the importance of his internal reforms. However, he remains primarily in global memory as one of the greatest military commanders in history. Indeed, Napoleon Bonaparte delivered more battles than Alexander the Great, Hannibal, or Caesar. His campaigns covered all Europe from Spain to Russia, without forgetting the East with Egypt and Syria. The French Emperor entered in the prestigious capitals of Europe, Milan, Vienna (twice), Berlin, Madrid and Moscow. Napoleon has greatly influenced the Western way of war, not only by the new organization of armies, but also by the optimization of different capabilities and the combination between leadership and creativity in the battlefields.