Napoleon Bonaparte: A Brief History and the Good He Left Behind

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Napoleon Bonaparte
Coming up as a French ruler and leader, Napoleon Bonaparte used the French Revolution to help improve the lives of the French, causing French citizens everywhere to worship the ground he walked on. Over time Napoleon’s political and military accomplishments became irrelevant due to his uncontrollable greed and never ending quest for power. Though his name now comes with a bad connotation, Bonaparte did affect the world in positive ways such as education, art, and literature but was “anti-progressive” when it came to the rights of his people.
Napoleon, born on August 15th, 1769 on the tiny island of Corsica, was the second born of eight children to a poor lawyer who had little connection to royalty (Dugdale). Napoleon’s family was considered radical by many and as a boy Napoleon fully embraced his Corsican heritage. Because of his mother’s adulterous relationship with French Military Governor Comte de Marbeuf, he started his education at Brienne Military Academy. In 1784 Napoleon worked vigorously to finish his schooling in a little over a year rather than the required three years (Dugdale). This was a simple task for young Napoleon as he excelled at science and math. Such skills were necessary for any artillery officer of the time (Dugdale). After school Napoleon spent a lot of the next 8 years in Corsica supporting a Corsican Rebel named Pasquale Paulo. Paulo had previously been a benefactor of Napoleon's father. Eventually the revolution came about and forced the Bonaparte family to evacuate France, giving Napoleon a bitter taste for his previous associate Pasquale Paulo. With no outstanding credentials, Napoleon used the characteristics of the revolution to quickly rise in the ranks. Napoleon first showed of...

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...cruel dictator and a heartless greed, Napoleon’s effect on the spread of knowledge and the way he opened this eyes of so many people to different worlds should not go unnoticed. Though few, Bonaparte’s positive effects such as the spread of art and architecture, the Napoleonic Code, and encouraging education changed the world, whether it be for better or worse.

Works Cited

Dugdale, Pointon. "Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)." Napoleon Bonaparte. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
Perry, Marvin., et. al., The Modern Era (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994), p.447.
Beck, Roger. and Black, Linda, World History: Patterns of Interaction (Boston: McDougal Little), p.205-209.
Napoleon: Revolution to Empire." Napoleon Art of Revolution & Empire. National Gallery of Victoria, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
Harvey, A.D, “Napoleon the Myth," History Today, 1998, volume 16, p.29

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