Master of Opportunity

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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.

The circumstances for gaining absolute power were overwhelming after the fall of the Revolutionary directory. In fact, Johnson claims, “All the ancient legal restraints on divine-right kingship… had already been swept away by the Revolution, leaving France a legal blank on which Bonaparte could stamp the irresistible force of his personality.” (Johnson, 42) In addition, France was in turmoil after the Terror and starved for order and stability. Napoleon would bring neither to the state which fueled his rise to power. Fi...

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...hout it he had nothing.

The legacy of Napoleon is viewed in many different ways. Some authors and leaders admire the ambitious and gifted military man for his sheer power and achievements. Others are very critical towards his lack of compassion and rationality. His detachment from ideals shaped Napoleon into a self-sufficient military tyrant. His unsatisfied desire for power was shaped by belief in one thing, himself. The destiny Napoleon envisioned was not shaped by patriotism for a country, devotion to a god, or sympathies towards a class. He did in fact ride a wave of opportunity available in France during the Revolution. If anything Napoleon embodied the ideology of an opportunist who was swift not only in his military tactics, but also in his political moves. His defeat rested in the failure of his army, which is never a lasting structure to solely rely on.

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