The rise and fall of Napoleon can be compared to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. There are many parallels between the two: they both formed an Empire after a failed Republic, they both reformed their armies and became successful militarily, and they both would be replaced by a king. The only difference being that Rome did not have a final battle that would forever be linked with its name. Although Napoleon would lead a triumphant return to France, it would ultimately lead to his downfall at the Battle of Waterloo.
In the spring of 1814 Napoleon Bonaparte was forced to abdicate his throne as emperor of the French. This caused much relief to the people of France as they had grown weary of being at war since the Revolutionary Wars began in 1792. Louis XVIII reclaimed his throne in the summer of 1814, and could have upheld the republican ideals that overthrew the Bourbons in the French Revolution. Instead Louis XVIII wanted to reform the current France back to before the revolution, and as Andrew W. Field asserts, the overall effect was that in "a short time the new king managed to alienate a large proportion of the population." Louis XVIII believed that the throne was his by divine right, and as such, saw the whole of France as traitors that supported the usurper Napoleon. The low opinion of Louis XVIII would reach Napoleon on Elba and set the stage for his triumphant return to France in March of 1815.
Since Louis XVIII was more interested in asserting his power than improving the country, it is no surprise that Napoleon was welcomed back with enthusiasm. The soldiers, especially would cheer his return, even disobeying orders so that they could rejoin their emperor. One particular case emulates the prevalent thought among ...
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...eral procession to march with their emperor one last time. So great was his legend, that even after his death on St. Helena, his soldiers were always waiting for his return:
They never forgot 'him'. When he died on St. Helena many refused to believe it. A rumour said he had landed at Ostend. 'Where are you going?' asked the wife of a Belgian veteran when he pulled on his grenadier's greatcoat. 'To him!' was the instant response.
Even after losing his throne, Napoleon's loss at the battle would always be remembered as a tragic end to his grand ambition. But in death, Napoleon would achieve more infamy than when he had lived. His Napoleonic legend would grow, and his loss at Waterloo would be seen as a heroic attempt to recapture his former glory. His rise was meteoric, and his fall was so devastating that everybody fears meeting their own, personal "Waterloo."
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
But he died at peace, according to his journal. By letting his family know where he was, they could have sent a search party after a few months to see if he was safe.
Napoleon Bonaparte ruled in France from 1789 to 1815. Napoleon came to power in 1789 and immediately became a powerful figure in the French government. However, some thought Napoleon was such a great leader. The Napoleonic Empire started to grow France’s territories. Some might have believed that Napoleon was too eager with his rule, while losing and failing to succeed against the power of England, in an attempt to blockade their trade, and of Russia, where he led his army to a defeat and retreat back to France. Even in his success over Spain, the battle still costed Napoleon and his army in men and resources. Napoleon was mostly viewed as a powerful and militaristic leader in some aspects, but others saw him as a coward and terrible leader in other ways.
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.
at the rioters. These actions did not go unnoticed by the Directory. Also Napoleon’s wife had
French citizens did not dare question his authority, as they respected him more than their former absolute monarch, King Louis XVI. During Napoleon’s reign, France participated in many gruesome battles, building a reputation as one of the most powerful countries in Europe. Napoleon’s armed forces carried the nationalistic ideologies of the French revolution. Soon, nationalism would be regarded a political epidemic poisoning neighbouring kingdoms and empires, many of which were multi-nation states. Collective groups who were forced to co-exist with one another were outraged, as they believed that they all deserved their own territory and sovereignty. If the revolution was able to transform France into the most powerful nation on the continent, why wouldn’t it work out for everyone else? Soon enough, nationalism would be dividing nation-states rather than unifying
Napoleon’s “coup d’etat of 18 brumaire was an insurance against both the Jacobin revolution and the Royalist restoration.” The French people expected Napoleon to bring back peace, order and to consolidate the political and social conquests of the Revolution. Napoleon considered these conquests to be “the sacred rights of property, equality and liberty.” If Napoleon gained power with the promise of upholding the principles of the French Revolution, how did he betray the revolution? Many historians argue that Napoleon was an effective but ambitious leader.
That night his wife told him that she had been given the news of him being dead years ago. She always refused to believe it.
These claims are stated because he would get the medal in honor for serving in the military and making it back.The news would talk to him about his story and writers would make books about it and documentaries about his struggle in quest to find his home.
Kirchberger, Joe H. The French Revolution and Napoleon. New York: Facts on File inc, 1989.
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 returned to home to France with only about 10% of his Army still alive. He lost most of his soldiers during the Great White Death, which is one of the largest French disasters to date. Since all the coalition allies knew he was in trouble, they decided to follow him and take him out while he was down and burned out. This is when he decided to give himself up and be exiled to Elba with 1000 guards. Before he left though, he promised his men that he, “… would return when the flowers bloomed.” And that was a promise that Napoleon kept.
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.
The French citizens were correct in overthrowing the French monarchy because King Louis XVI was a poor leader. One of the qualities that made King Louis XVI a poor leader was that he was not interested in ruling the country. According to the World History Textbook, “He was easily bored with affairs of state and much preferred to spend his time in physical activities.” (Beck Roger, Black Linda, Krieger, Larry, Naylor Phillip, Shabaka Dahia, 653) It is obvious that King Louis XVI was more interested in personal enjoyment then the livelihood of his country. He would rather be noble having fun rather than being a leader making decisions for his country. When King Louis XVI was removed from power, he was given what he wanted, the escape from the affairs of state. Another example why King L...