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The rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte
The rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon bonaparte impact on french revolution
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Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in 1802 after the French Revolution (1789-1799) in France. He came to power because he used to a war general and he was once asked to lead an army to defend the delegates. He won that war and because of that he kept going into battles and eventually decided that he wanted to have political power. He crowned himself Emperor in 1802, after returning from Egypt (he was fighting in a war) chaos broke out in the government and Napoleon had the chance to gain political power and he took it. Napoleon was the precursor to a dictator because he lied to the French people, he declared himself in power through God, and he was selfish. Napoleon should be considered the precursor to dictators because he lied to the French people through the newspapers. According to a history high school textbook, Napoleon understood the newspapers could be used as a tool of government and a war weapon. By knowing this he was able to use it to his advantage because he lied about numbers, banished news of his losses, and when he lost he would tell everybody that …show more content…
According to Napoleon catechism, Napoleon declared himself power through God and that the people of France owe him love, respect, obedience, and military service and by not giving him any of these things, you would be worthy of going to hell. The goal of the French Revolution was to abolish divine right and establish a democracy. This document illustrates that Napoleon went against the ideas of the French Revolution because after the Revolution, Napoleon declared himself Emperor by using divine right (saying that God gave him his power) and passed the degree, Napoleonic Catechism. This demonstrates that Napoleon was the precursor to dictators because if he was telling the people of France that God gave him his power and that they have to follow/obey him or else they would be worthy of external
Napoleon supported the system of hereditary power. This was very contradicting to the ideal of the French Revolution which discourages hereditary privilege. “ It was clearly seen that for a great nation the only salvation lies in hereditary power, which can alone assure a continuous political life which may endure for generations, even for centuries.”
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
Napoleon Bonaparte was historically not only the powerful invader but also the ambitious king. Napoleon made various works that effected France and the other country significantly, conquering almost of countries in Europe. Almost people in France praised Napoleon when he won in any war or any invasion. From successful occupation, people started to consider Napoleon as a god of the war and large numbers of people followed his order. Napoleon seems as the greatest emperor in the world. However, Napoleon was only concerned on his greed and ambition, which made questionable political decision and poor military decisions, changing him as an outcast. Having the highest spot in Europe, Napoleon changed to be arrogant and be rude himself. He was being not only traitor who lead a revolt against French Parliament but also the emperor who took that place himself. Caring only France, Napoleon was considered as a cruel tyrant to peoples of other countries. Every country in Europe stand against France when Napoleon failed his conquest of Russia. Finally, Napoleon era ended when Napoleon lost in Waterloo war and Napoleon became the exile.
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.
A ruler's reputation comes from the change that he inflicts upon his subjects, territory, and surrounding lands. Napoleon Bonaparte rose into power during the French Revolution, causing drastic changes not only to France, but to the rest of Europe as well. His domestic and foreign policies were not always successful, but his ability to rule was undeniable. From his rising in power and reform of France, up until his military defeat in Russia, Napoleon succeeded in gaining a considerate amount of power and control.
The world has seen the likes of many dictators, tyrants, and rulersꟷ the ‘leaders’ that would go to great lengths to get what they wanted. Among this list lay the names of Napoleon Bonaparte (b.1769, d.1821) and Adolf Hitler (b.1889, d.1945). Both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler are well-known historic figures that have played a significant part in shaping World History. Many people believe that Napoleon and Hitler are akin: notorious warlords who wanted to conquer Europe and put their respective countries on top. However, this is not true. Although they were both autocrats who shared much in common, there are vast differences that set them apart. The former French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte and Führer of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler can
Napoleon Bonaparte was an undeniably strong leader of France, however he was not truthful to his inferiors who gave him his power. Napoleon believed he was the master of France and that he had complete power of the country. He looked down upon his peers and the other citizens of France. Bonaparte gained his popularity by standing with the common people during the revolutionary period of France but did not continue with the views he expressed during this period when he became Emperor. Napoleon Bonaparte had many views and beliefs that made him an absolute dictator of France including, making every decision himself, being above everyone in the class systems, and manipulating the citizens of France.
Some believe that Napoleon is a selfish tyrant but really, he is a hero to many people of his country. Napoleon has helped his own people and brought peace back to France. He was known for his knowledge and respected everyone’s customs. There is also a painting of Napoleon riding a horse to show he was very heroic. If Napoleon was to be a tyrant, he would not have done so much for his empire.
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...
In the gist of it all napoleon was a great army leader but he was not a great leader for his people. He messed up the whole revolution. He crowned himself an emperor after they overthrew their monarch. It was bad for the people but they had no choice because of the fact that he just crowned himself the emperor. If the people had any choice, which they realized later they did they should have not led him lead.
Napoleon was a excellent military and governmental leader in France during the 1790s. He tried to create an excellent country and even more excellent government system that would make the country better. He was one of the greatest leaders in human history. One of his greatest achievements was the creation of the code of Napoleon. The code of Napoleon was the first time that France had tried to put together a reasonable government system that was fair to everyone. He also changed the tax system in France. He made it where everyone in France was required to pay taxes, and no one was exempt from the taxes. He promoted agriculture in France as well. He went of the building ideas of the Roman Empire and the designs of all his buildings that he build
Napoleon was just a soldier during the French revolution. He gained support from the people and the army for his military success. The people looked up to him and hope that he can help to end the chaos brought on by revolution
The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is a magnificent illustration of skillful character meeting with overwhelming opportunities to form a supreme leader. His ambition was led primarily by impulse, not a set of ideals or connection to any structure. The vacillating government of France throughout the Revolution provided opportunities which had not previously been available. The opportunities available during the Revolution were mainly in the military. This favored Napoleon because he was mentally able and willing to put in the extra effort to win essential battles. Since childhood, Napoleon had a strong ambitious character that flourished into mathematical skills to help him succeed in seizing opportunities that arose. What he lacked however, was significant ideology. Any choice Napoleon made that involved France, the church, or social class was strictly aimed to gain influence. As a result, France was a mere vessel of power he manipulated to pursue his true goal: supreme power. Napoleon Bonaparte embodied the characteristics of a true opportunist that gained enormous amount of power for himself during the Revolution by translating military success into political matter with little to no regard to the losses of others.
For example, when he seized power he acquired the title of First Consul and eventually he crowned himself emperor. This demonstrates that Napoleon is selfish because he believed that he was the best person for the job and didn’t think anyone could fulfill the position like he could. The painting “The coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David, shows when the egotistical tyrant was crowning himself emperor. This action taken by the emperor led to negative impact in France because it was taking things backwards for France. At this point, France was trying to get rid of a monarchy but when Napoleon crowned himself emperor, it created more of a monarchy. The traitor to the revolution was showing that he cared more about the power belonging to himself rather than the people of France and giving them the option to share their opinions. By becoming emperor, Napoleon did not live up to the revolutionary ideals because he did not try to overthrow the monarchy. One major goal of the revolution was to abolish a monarchy, but Napoleon was encouraging it when he crowned himself. A absolute monarchy is what Napoleon made France even though France was trying to become a constitutional monarchy. This point of the revolution was go away from the ideals and goals, and Napoleon was to blame. The reason that Napoleon crowned himself emperor was because he wanted to have full control over France; having ultimate power. When someone has ultimate power, it contradicts against the idea of liberty because it is not giving people the freedom to say what they
The France Directory, the previous rulers of France, were extremely corrupt, and deprived citizens of many rights. Before being disbanded in 1799, the Directory was the cause of political uproar throughout France. Napoleon, a lieutenant of the army at the time, formed the Consulate, and stormed and overtook the Directory, much to the approval of the French people. During his rise to power, Napoleon ensured every step he took strengthened the bond between the future government and its citizens. Furthermore, to ascertain a just future, he set up lycees, a government-run school, to train future officials and government representatives. Although it was inevitable that Napoleon was the next ruler, he still held a plebiscite, a vote, so the people had a chance to interject. Napoleon took to restoring order within France. His efforts in doing so proved effective from the people. One of his greatest works was the Napoleonic Code. The Code, created in 1804, was Napoleon’s all-inclusive, complete system of laws. It “gave the country a uniform set of laws and eliminated many injustices,” (Source A). Though it deprived women of some rights, and denied the people of France freedoms like speech/press, the Code’s laws achieved some of the goals of the Revolution and strengthened the central government. It provided all people of France with equal rights, a concept that was difficult to achieve throughout the Revolution. Another