Napoleon Bonaparte, A Hero As A Military Hero

There is no question in the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte was a significant character in France. However, there have been debates among historians for years around the central question: “Was Napoleon Bonaparte a hero or a villain?” The answer here relies on how one looks upon the situation. Was Napoleon Bonaparte a savior to the French, or was he a tyrant to the French? Although many historians’ answers do rely deeply onto perspective, their answers also lie within which stage of life Napoleon Bonaparte was in, as well as the shift in opinions that come as time changes. Paul Stock and Phillip Dwyer analyze Napoleon Bonaparte’s influence and through the analysis, debate on whether Napoleon Bonaparte should be considered a hero or a villain,

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who became the emperor of France after the French Revolution, in the year 1804. Napoleon made his Civil Code to unify the laws of France. When he conquered Europe, he brought along ideas of the French Revolution such as equality under the law. His conquests also brought about nationalism in defeated countries, which would fuel the way for their own revolutions, such as in the Revolutions of 1848. The growth of conservatism at the Congress of Vienna was a reaction to Napoleon’s ideas, but it could not stop the new ideas that came from Napoleon’s reign.

The longest lasting effect of Napoleon Bonaparte's rule over France was his overseeing the implementation of a series of national laws collectively known as the Civil Code, or Code Napoleon. Code Napoleon was the successor to the idea’s stated in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, While at first, Napoleon generally adhered to the philosophies of the French Revolutionist as created in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, as time progressed, his absolute power allowed for corruption at the expense of the French people. Napoleon violated almost every principle in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in order to benefit his own

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.

During the Napoleonic Era, from 1799 to 1815, France became a military power gaining and controlling land throughout Europe. While some historians believe Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruthless dictator, his military accomplishments far outweigh any atrocities he committed. He helped France gain stability after the French Revolution and he also abolished the Feudal contract. Napoleon was a brilliant strategist using military tactics to cause fear and to defeat whatever enemies stood in his way. Throughout his rule, Napoleon continually gained ground, and by the end of his reign, his empire encompassed all of Spain, Italy, and a small portion of land by Russia and Austria. (see map) He is one of

The Code Napoleon, originally entitled the Code civil des Français, is the French civil code established by Napoleon in 1804. This code forbids any special treatment based on wealth and nobility and allowed freedom of religion and stated that government jobs will go to the most qualified and not just those who are wealthy. This law also focused on equality before the law and in taxation, protection of private property, abolition of serfdom and the secularization of the state. The Napoleon Code “unified the laws of France into a single code of law.” 3 People will not be treated differently for their wealth or social standing and will face all the same consequences as every other person in the country. It acknowledged the equal rights of all people and

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.

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 has been recognised as a military genius. His various military exploits have been widely regarded as great feats and his military prowess was definitely an important factor is his ascension to power. Napoleon has been said to be a great tactician and strategist in war which was essentially why he was able to progress through the ranks of military also while becoming a national hero. In 1793, the then young Napoleon became a national hero by leading the recapture of the French port of Toulon from the British which drew the attention of the upper echelons. 'As a reward for his services, the Representatives

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 was born within the mid-late 18th century and ended the French Revolution in November 1799 by declaring himself the emperor of France. Napoleon’s ideals had revolutionised Europe with his democratic approach of government whilst maintaining a dictatorship, and numerous political figures at the time have applaud him for his aspiring leadership. However, Napoleon had been a controversial leader, and numerous media texts from the 18th to 21st century have declared Napoleon’s hypocrisy of his democratic ideals and promises when he overthrew the French Republic and then declared himself emperor. (Addison Anderson, 2016).[] The viewer interprets Napoleon’s actions and ideals in different perspectives, and it is important to analyse how the author or maker of the media text positions the audience to the deliberate idea of the subject or political figure.

Moreover, through the creation of the Banque de France which was led by bourgeoisie shareholders, he increased their economic power in turn winning over their support- as financial growth was one of the goals of the bourgeoisie revolution. Another one of Napoleon’s major accomplishments in this sphere was his revision of France’s legal system which provided frenchmen with legal equality-something that they had long yearned for. This was done through the establishment of the Napoleonic Code for the whole country creating consistency and bringing justice to the people of France. The basis of this code remains largely operative today and its influence is apparent within a diverse many countries such as; Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, and more. This code aimed to eradicate the unfair legal practices that had once severely separated the classes, as well as allow careers to be open to talent rather than privilege based on birth. Additionally, Napoleon expanded on the ideas of fraternity expressed in the code through the creation of the Legion of Honour, “a new society, he reasoned, needed a new elite, an aristocracy not of birth, but of merit”. Through the strengthening of the revolutionary ideas of fraternity by the creation of the Legion of Honour and equality through legal equality under the Napoleonic code, Napoleon was able to also boost french

Napoleon's greatest work in his mind was his system of laws, called the Napoleonic Code. This set of laws gave France a straightforward list of injustices. Several of these laws from the code promoted authority and order over rights of individuals such as freedom of speech and slavery in the Caribbean.

Napoleon Bonaparte established an authoritarian empire, and declared himself emperor. While this seems as far from a republic as possible, Bonaparte asserted many of the recent, liberal socioeconomic ideals of France into his policies. When the Code was published in 1804, it outlined the rights to freedom of religion, equality before law, rights of ownership, and abolition of feudalism. It writes, “Private persons have the free disposition of the property belonging to them, subject to the modifications established by the laws” (The Civil Code), and this absolute right to property benefitted peasant landowners greatly. Under the Civil Code, peasants reclaimed land and property that were under the possession of clergymen and nobility. Another principal idea of the Code was that all people would be equal before the law. All had a chance to improve their social status and gain wealth. As it stated in the first book, “Every Frenchman shall enjoy civil rights” (The Civil Code). These reforms concerning equality before the law were enjoyed tremendously by those living in lower classes during the Napoleonic era. However, despite these improved qualities in the Civil Code, there were elements that contrasted the ideals of the French Revolution as well. For example, the rights of women took a step back under Bonaparte’s policies. Under the chapter of marriage, it states that the wife owes “obedience to her husband” under Article 213 (The Civil Code). Generally, women would need the authorization and guidance of a husband or father in order to participate in the economy with trade or property care. During the Reign of Terror, discrimination against women had begun again, and was established firmly under the Civil Code (Bulliet, et al. 557). Freedom of press was