Did Napoleon Attack Russia A Good Idea Or An Idiotic Mistake?

Napoleon Bonaparte will remain in the heart of many French nationals as one of the greatest military leaders that the nation has had when it comes to warfare history. In 1799, Napoleon launched a series of wars, which historian call, “Napoleonic wars” in a bid to extend the territory of France in Europe. Many historians argue that the Napoleonic wars were a continuation of the earlier war under the tag, French revolution in 1789. The French revolution in itself had so many influences in Europe, especially with the armies who felt the greatest impact of the revolution. The revolution brought with it many changes, especially in the production of modern mass weapons with the conscription in place. The new improvements in weaponry made Napoleon seek hegemony in the entire Europe sparking his quest to expand and increase the revolutionary and territorial borders of France. Napoleon, Corsican aristocrat, who was a minor, rose to the position of emperor in France because of the revolution and his idea was to sweep the entire Europe with the reforms brought about by the revolution (Dwyer 32). The idea was to liberate the continent so that all citizens had a chance to take the helm of leadership and do away with the issue of kinship rule. Napoleon was a symbol of change, and although at some point, he comes out as a dictator, he was progressive and created rationalization of governance and all the social

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the land generals in history whose legacy lives to date. His story is one of the greatest stories in European history. He was born off the Island of Italy as a son of a minor noble. When he joined the French army, he quickly rose to higher ranks and gained power that made him become an emperor in control of France and conquered most parts of Europe (Lyons, 1994). He did this out of his skills and abilities that put him in a good position to seize favorable conditions to his advantage. During his life, he showed different good principles from which anyone can learn from, but also exhibited traits that have been common among dictatorial leaders who abuse the powers vested on them.

After the French monarchy was overthrown on August 10, 1792, Napoleon decided to make his move up in the ranks. After this, Napoleon started becoming a recognized officer. In 1792, Napoleon was prompted to the rank of captain. In 1793, he was chosen to direct the artillery against the siege in Toulon. He seized ground where he could get his guns in range of the British ships. Soon after Toulon fell, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. In 1795, he saved the revolutionary government by controlling a group of rioting citizens by using a famous technique of his. He loaded a bunch of pellets into a cannon and fired it at the crowd. Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals in succession, and each army he fought got bigger and bigger. This forced Austria and its allies to make peace with France. But after this, Napoleon was relieved of his command. He was poor and was suspected of treason. Napoleon had no friends. No one would have suspected what Napoleon would do next. In 1796, Napoleon was appointed to put down a revolt in Paris. He calmly took complete control of the situation. He had his men shoot all the rebels in the streets. The French government was saved, but they decided to form a new government called the Directory. Under the new government, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. During this campaign, the French realized how smart Napoleon was. He developed a tactic

Napoleon Bonaparte was inarguably an important figure in the history of France and Europe. However, there has been much controversy over the subject in the past. Would history perceive him as a hero or an enemy of France and the world? Many twentieth-century dictators would later model themselves on Napoleon, more than a hundred years after his death. Napoleon was not the first dictator, so why was he such an important figurehead for future dictators? Some historians may consider that Napoleon was a savior of France, and a brilliant military genius. Others would believe that he was a corrupted tyrant and had betrayed key ideals that had been established in the French Revolution. His rise to and consolidation of power made him a full

Napoleon Bonaparte, an influential leader of France, was a man of many facets. On one the one hand, Napoleon was a strong leader who created durable institutions and strengthened France, but on the other, there is a more pitiful view of Napoleon. The view of Napoleon was initially very positive: he viewed himself as a protector of the people, and the people saw this too; however, over time, this image was greatly worsened, due to military hardship.

Napoleons’ rise to emperor in France was indisputable mostly because of his overthrow of the Directory. His success’s as commander of the French army in Italy, only led to his aspiring status change to “Emperor” of France after overthrowing the Directory in November of 1799. His undying ambition for expansion of the empire he was creating however would be his undoing. Napoleons rule as emperor of France was quit spectacular actually and many admired and adored him as ruler. His ways were very appealing, and as a speaker he was very persuasive and admired by most of his people until his later years in his fall and demise. However, Napoleon did not seriously adhere to the ideals of the French Revolution, he did that of the Enlightenment but his undying ambition and character as “Emperor” undermined the true need of the French Revolution.

For question # 13, focus on the first and third paragraphs of the following site: http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95aug/napoleon.html

He had a natural ability to market himself changing his name on two occasions to sound more French and claiming “I am the revolution” thus becoming the physical embodiment of the ideals that drove the French Revolution. He spent years studying the campaigns of great military minds and proved himself in battle and his ability to refine these strategies. He had a natural gift for warfare and quickly climbed the ranks to brigadier general by the age of 25. When he saved the National Convention from the Parisian mob in 1795 he not only gained the rank of major general but also the reputation as a hero in certain circles building on the Napoleon mythology that would help him become a virtual dictator of France just a few years later. Before that would happen Napoleon would have many more military victories and defeat the Austrians. However, all these military successes were won with a military that Napoleon helped to refine, but that he did not innovate or

Napoleon Bonaparte was born into a family of noble Italian ancestry. Napoleon settled in Corsica in the 16th century and later was trained as an artillery officer at a prestigious military school in France, where they most likely talked of Alexander the Great’s military conquests and strategies. In 1799, Napoleon

In the late 1790’s, Napoleon Bonaparte was like the rest of the people in France—they were tired of war, revolution and violence. Led by Napoleon, they carried out a coup d’ etat. Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica in 1769 and he became an officer in France. He commanded in many battles and led France to victory with his brilliant tactics. However, he was a general with great ambition, who wanted to rule France.

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most successful leaders throughout history acquiring an enormous empire stretching from Belgium to the far side of the Adriatic Sea. In addition, Napoleon was a military genius and strategist as well as emperor of France, twice, once from 1804 to 1814 and then again in 1815 which started the 100 Days War. With all of his achievements Napoleon stands out with numerous competencies and attributes of a leader that are used and encouraged today and looking at his history one can see the positive impact that it had on the men he lead as well as the success that he made in conquest. As well as showing many positive leader attributes Napoleon also showed a few distasteful leadership attributes and characteristics that would not be excepted today and it is reflected in some of the problems that Napoleon had as a leader from using them.

Impressed by his feats the five main military leaders asked Napoleon to invade England, instead he offered a plan to invade Egypt. After he got the okay to do so Napoleon took over the Egyptian army and its main leaders (www.history.com, www.thefreesource.com). In 1799 Napoleon overthrew the French Directory in an attempt to gain more power. After the defeat he was the leading political figure to most historians (www.history.com). As leader Napoleon improved not only the military of France but also the economy and other parts of the French empire. He helped reform the banks and education system as well as improving the arts and sciences. But his biggest contribution was the Napoleonic code, which was a big part of the legal system in France.(www.history.com, www.thefreesource.com, www.bbc.co.uk). In 1804 Napoleon declared himself emperor of France, which was meant he was the sole leader of this great empire (www.history.com). Napoleon won many battles and his reign stretched from the edge of the border of Spain to Italy and also some parts in Austria and Egypt. It was a strong and powerful empire at the time. The start of Napoleon’s downfall began when Russia broke agreements with France. So Napoleon brought about 600,000 troops into Russia to attack but the Russians were prepared and had the perfect strategy to defeat the French army. The Russians would retreat and keep the French marching

There is a general consensus amongst historians about Napoleon’s intelligence and his ability to inspire and guide his troops with immense skill. As Michael Broers comments: “it is when historians deny him genius, creative power and acute intelligence, that they fail in their task.” Historians also agree that the French Revolution of 1789 played a critical role in Napoleon’s life by shaping his future aspirations. However, in spite of this broad agreement, there are varying views about how he used his genius in his rise to power. Historians tend to take two sides in their scrutiny of Napoleon as ruler. He is either seen as a saviour, a leader who would preserve the revolution, or a tyrant, a man who saw an opportunity to further his place in the world with the use of

Napoleon Bonaparte is often characterized as one of the most brilliant and influential military leader in all of history. Known mostly for his diminutive stature and extraordinary military skill, Napoleon Bonaparte is commonly recognized today for his great accomplishments and works regarding the country of France. Though he achieved many great things, the successfulness of this leader is often still debated all across the world. Many believe he was unsuccessful and arrogant while others argue that Napoleon’s great skill shaped the world as it is known today. Though there are numerous conflicting viewpoints throughout the world, Napoleon’s successfulness is more prominent, for his reforms to the country of France and military dominance set him apart from all other preceding leaders.

    The Napoleonic Age was the most controversial time period. Some people thought Napoleon was a reformer, while others thought he was an absolute dictator. One thing is for sure though, that he shaped France/Europe into the continent/country is is today. Napoleon was very narcissistic and cruel, and did not value human life. At the same time, he believed in education and instruction. Also, he positively influenced the schools and created the Napoleonic Code which solved a lot of France's problems. Napoleon Bonaparte had a negative impact on France, because he mistreated the rights that every human should obtain, created a bad image for other countries, and only really cared about absolute power.