Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely Napoleon Bonaparte

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.

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.

“All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” is a quote from Lord John Dalberg-Acton, explaining that any amount of power can corrupt the mind, but absolute power will take over. This is represented throughout history: in politics, monarchies and times like the french revolution. Many writers have used this theme in their works. One work that includes this theme is William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The play Macbeth follows Macbeth, a brave warrior as he gains power from his deeds both good and bad. By killing the Duncan, the former king, Macbeth rises to power and takes control of his country. With every bit of power that the Macbeth’s gain, they become more and more corrupt.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a great leader until he took his power too far. He helped France get out of their debt and also won multiple territories from winning wars. He continued to strengthen France with his great leadership and military strategies. Eventually, though, he began to abuse his power. He proceeded through a war, without forfeit and experienced a great defeat. During his time of power Napoleon was a paradox. Napoleon’s fall from being a great leader taught us that, sometimes when people get too used to having so much power and authority, they may abuse their powers to a large extent.

Napoleon was a tyrant, firstly he treated women unfair and secondly people weren't allowed to have the freedom of speech of go against him. This was what made him a tyrant. One thing Napoleon said against women was "In france women are considered too highly. They should not be regarded as equal to men. In reality they are nothing more than machines for producing children. He didn't treat women and men equally, like if a men and women worked at the same job the men would get payed more than the women. "Public education does not suit women, as they are not called upon to live in public....marriage is their whole estimation," was also said by Napoleon and proves that he believed that women were to do household things only.( which meant it didn't

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was undeniably profound in helping to restore order to France following the revolution, the chaotic Jacobin reign of terror, and the weak directory. Through his leadership, France was able to achieve a much more balanced and powerful state, resemblant of the France of previous great rulers, such as Louis XIV. Napoleon used his absolute authority to align France with his his vision, which was one of glory and greatness for both himself and his country. Through many consider him to be a militaristic megalomaniac, Napoleon had a deep interest in Voltairean enlightened despotism and a desire to make France great, combining to result in equality under the law and natural rights for men, as well as an improvement of the economy as a result of tax reform and banking.

The French Revolution, a revolutionary movement of extensive social and political upheavals triggered by the dissatisfaction of the monarchy. Inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, the Third Estate overthrew the monarchy and established many different governments and constitutions. These proved to be unhelpful and useless as anyone who came into power was blinded by it and became unreliable until Napoleon Bonaparte. Born as the fourth child of the Bonaparte, Napoleon grew up desiring to be someone whose name will go down in history and it so well did. Being a genius, even at a young age, Bonaparte specialized in military tactics and artilleries. He grew up to a prodigious military leader who quickly secured his position. Napoleon saw

During the late 1400s and 1500s, many rulers took great measures to centralize political power and place it in their own hands. This lead to the occurrence of absolute monarchies, some of which I thought were overall very effective. In absolute monarchies, theoretically the monarch is all-powerful, with no legal limitations to his or her authority. Absolutism in Europe was characteristically justified by the doctrine of divine right, according to which the monarch reigns all-powerfully by the will of God. The intention of absolute monarchs is to utilize his or her power in an effective, better-organized way, despite its weaknesses or negative consequences; and from my perspective, I would have to say

Napoleon did not always follow through with his theories and ideas about the well being of France with actions, making him very hypocritical; there are however some contrasting points to suggest that not all his choices were insincere. Therefore his initial claims and theories were not completed, his actions contradicted his preliminary ideas. Consequently, Napoleon betrayed the ideas of the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

3.2~ The Reign of Terror was a point in time during the French Revolution in which Maximilien Robespierre attempted to live in “republic of virtue”, which didn’t end well for France. For instance, Robespierre ruled as a dictator in terms of remaining loyal to his duties. Also, another example would be his decisions which impacted his reputation along with his overall personality as a whole. First off foremost, Robespierre didn’t feel pity for his subjects and during the Reign of Terror, 40,000 people were killed for non-existent purposes. Furthermore, one person got executed due to the fact that he accidentally chopped off a tree which was quite significant to the empire, however, Robespierre was very careless and continued with his

Napoleon loved power. He clearly states throughout multiple documents that he loves power. In document 1, he actually exclaims that, “I love power” (doc 1). In that statement, Napoleon makes a very blunt fact and doesn’t sugar coat it. Another example of him showing his love for power is “Napoleon held absolute power” (pg.598) . Also “Two years later, he crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I” (pg.589). In that support, Napoleon takes all the power from everyone else and does something not even allowed to make himself superior.

The common adage “history will judge”, is often stated about controversial figures. History has undoubtedly judged Napoleon Bonaparte, but the ambitious French military leader of the early 19th century has not been judged as an absolute tyrant or hero. Although Napoleon seized political power in France and created his own empire, he is still considered one of the best military leaders in history due to his many victories. Napoleon Bonaparte was a tyrant who was also considered a hero by the French people.

Napoleon had already been marked as a prominent pig because he had a reputation of getting things his own way. By being active in the debates, he received much attention and notice from the animals. He also garnered support from those who agreed with his views but were unable to express themselves. Thus, he became a representative of these animals.

In 1887, historian John Dalberg-Acton asserted, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This theme has a prominent role in history, literature, and even current times. Certainly, many instances have occurred where once someone earns authority, they allow it to get to their head and do things they would not have done otherwise. Similarly, it is also seen that when one is inferior or beneath others, they receive a hunger for power. Specifically, a few prime examples of people who became corrupted because of their dominance include Marc Antony from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Jong-un. These rulers negatively impacted the places they ruled all because of their abusive tendencies that came with dominance.

Napoleon Bonaparte became an emperor from a soldier. Frequently in war, he schemes, and maneuverers his way through politics to be at the top of France. Yet, what makes him want to be the Emperor of France? Napoleon Bonaparte is a man that understands his own motives and ambitions genuinely well. He is able to foster the motive of saving France from the bloody French Revolution and ambition of gaining power by using revolutionary ideas combined with his own to accumulate power and stability of imperial rule. This occurs due to being a product of enlightenment, power-hungry personality, ego, and use of manipulation.