Napoleon Bonaparte : Hero Or Villain

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,

The novel, The invisible hero by Elizabeth Fensham explores the theme of heroism and villainy. Heroism can be defined as doing a selfless act in hope of inspiring others. Villainy can be defined as an act of doing something ‘evil’ in spite of another person or group. although it is commonly known that heroes and villains are polar opposite it is much more complex because it all depends on perspective. This idea of heroism and villainy will be expressed through an analysis of the style, characters, setting and plot.

Hearing of the word hero brings to my mind a good looking man with some qualities of fair, equal, courage, brave, honest and a positive leader. This makes the opposite a villain a person who wishes wrong for someone or a person who creates evil. The event changes dramatically, a hero of the past may not be considered a hero in the present and versa. Hernando Cortes a hero for joining two worlds and conquering the most powerful civilization of America or Hernando Cortes a villain for making the Aztec Empire disappear. Hernando Cortez was an important symbol for the explorations, but killing people, ending the most powerful civilization in America and spreading diseases does not makes him a hero. With

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.

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

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

Napoleon had great military ability and leadership skills, these abilities led him to become Emperor of France in 1804 and modernize the nation after the revolution1. There are many positive points that can lead people to believe he was a hero of France, but for every one of those points there are negatives that lead us to believe he was a villain of Europe. Napoleon was not absolutely good or absolutely bad which makes it difficult to argue either side, but I believe in the case of Napoleon the bad outweighs the good, which is why I would put him as a 3 on a hero villain continuum. His villainous side appears if we look at the Napoleonic code, the continental system, dropping revolutionary ideas, and over estimating his military ability.

In 1804, the Napoleonic Codes were implemented, in which reformed laws. These codes were used to maintain Napoleon's views on order, security, and efficiency. Likewise, the codes maintained Enlightenment principles, which includes the people’s right of religion, equality, and advancements based on the values (Ellis 486). The Napoleonic Codes, however, undid most of the reforms that had been created during the French Revolution - mainly, the women’s rights of citizenship. Also, considering how Napoleon was considered to value authority over the people's rights, it is concluded that to a medium extent, men had gained more rights, whereas for women, to a low extent did the Napoleonic Codes advance the rights of women.

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

Your honor and jurey I am here to tell you why Napoleon Bonaparte is guilty of being a traitor to the revolution. I think Napoleon was a traitor because of the way he led France during his time in power. Have you ever got into an accident and had to pay a bill to cover it, this is what Napoleon did with his country over and over. He brought France into many battles they had no part being in. He was selfish and wanted to take things from the other countries like land. That goes against the ways of Life,Liberty and property. Going against the ideas of enlightenment was going against the French Revolution. Because of his actions I think that Napoleon is a traitor.

A hero is a person who fights for their people. A hero is responsible, admired, and respected while a villain is the opposite: vile, problematic, and disliked; however, many historical characters can be both. One example could be Commodore Matthew Perry- a high ranked officer. Commodore Perry was both a hero and a villain because he had leadership skills and helped the American people, yet manipulated Japan into commerce with the west.

There have been multiple great war heroes throughout the course of history. Most fall short of the reign of power of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon’s reign began just years after he was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on August 15th, 1769. The story of Napoleon could be one compared to a super hero. His lack of fear and death led to a lifetime of success in the world of war. He had one goal throughout the course of his life: conquer all land, and bring France to the very top of the war chain.

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 a powerful leader who established the foundations of modern Europe through an administration riddled with controversy. Napoleon came to power in 1799 by overthrowing The Directory in France and appointing himself as the emperor, thus having complete control over the country. Napoleon's most lasting achievements include instituting the Napoleonic code, taking control of nearly all of Europe, and engaging in numerous battles with European nations. After years of serving in Europe, Napoleon had many foreign interactions and made himself a reputation split between a hero and a tyrant. To be a tyrant means to be a cruel and oppressive leader, something Europe was familiar with from the absolutist monarchs in their history

The definition of a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. One of the most influential heroes in the United States is George Washington but that’s just what Americans think of him. The British, who were fighting against the United States in the Revolution don’t see George Washington as a hero because he won the war for the United States but lost that territory for England. A hero is only defined by the people they protect and serve. Likewise, after the fall of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte swept in and seized power. At the young age of 30, he was already in charge of the First Counsel. By 35, he was the dictator of France. Through cunning military strategies and ambition, Napoleon climbed through the ranks of the French military. Napoleon at the time of his reign was seen in the French perspective as revolutionary and a savior. But, when the statistics are put into account, he wasted millions of dollars and lives for unsuccessful wars. He was seen as controlling and wasn’t even native to France. Napoleon can be considered a tyrant based off of the misery, death and grief he caused the French citizens during his reign.