Napoleon was one of the greatest military commanders in history. He has also been portrayed as a power hungry conqueror. Napoleon denied those accusations. He argued that he was building a federation of free peoples in a Europe united under a liberal government.
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.
He held a grudge for being exiled and strove to once again become powerful, even more so than before. Even though he returned to France a few years after to better constitutionalize France, he failed and returned to exile. Napoleon was a magnificent leader, even though he became over zealous and power hungry, "Napoleon was a driven man, never secure, never satisfied. “Power is my mistress,” he said." He demonstrated the charisma and intelligence necessary to lead a nation. He was a well respected leader that set the stage for many others to come, and that is revered by many.”
While Napoleon was a man of a short stature, contradictory, exalted mind, extroverted and intelligent, he also had the gift of talent, and charisma to convince and lead the audiences. He was also an insatiable reader, and a
People from France’s surrounding nations despised Napoleon and viewed the French Emperor as a tyrant who seized all power from France’s republic and controlled the nation under his absolute power. After the French Revolution, France’s government had changed from a monarchy to a republic. Napoleon seized all political power through a coup d’état in November of 1799. He was crowned emperor and took over many of the nations bordering France. The French emperor was greedy and hungry for power, as he was quoted saying, “Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.”(“Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/napoleonbo165317.html.) Napoleon himself admitted that he couldn’t let go of his power. It is evident that he craved power as he constantly went to battle other nations to gain land and expand his empire. Additionally, he was a dishonest leader as he stated, “In
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 was motivated by glory and power, whether he was creating policies or conquering territories Napoleon was fueled by glory. Napoleon even wrote, “My power proceeds my reputation, and my reputation from the victories I have won. My power would fall if I were not to support it with more glory and more victories. Conquest has made me what I am; only conquest will maintain me. Friendship is only a word; I love nobody; no not even my brothers.” (Sherman 76). Within this diary entry Napoleon depicts his extreme vanity. Napoleon was not a friend of the French people. Napoleon did not act we to further the enlightened ideologies of his countrymen. Napoleon’s single driving forces was his insatiable lust for glory. Napoleone yearned for “power” to increase his “reputation”. Napoleon did not conquer territories to spread the revolution and enlightenment, Napoleon fought because “Conquest has made me (Napoleon) what I am; only conquest will maintain me”. The spread of the enlightenment was a mere byproduct of Napoleon's rule. Napoleon was fueled only by his own “power”, “reputation”, and “victories”. Any enlightened ideologies which progressed during Napoleon's rule were only used to further his
Napoleon was one of the most influential people in the history of the world. He has affected people throughout the globe in many ways. He rose through the confusion of the French revolution to become Emperor of the French. His goal was to conquer all of Europe. Through out his lifetime he nearly succeeded in his goal. Napoleon was probably one of the greatest military leaders that ever lived. Napoleon Bonaparte, who is also known as the "little Corsican", was born on August 15,1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. He was known as the "little Corsican" because of his height of 5 feet 2 inches. He had 7 brothers and sisters. His original name was Napoleon Bonaparte in Corsica but it
- After his triumph driving the British out of Toulon Napoleon was made a brigadier general. With two successful campaigns 1796 he drove the Austrians north of Italy. He was able to make the government of France very dependent on him. His dealings with Italians produced a "Cisalpine" republic modeled after the French with Milan as its capital. After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. ending when Napoleon Bonaparte staged a coup d'état and declared himself the ruler of France. Essentially, Napoleon ended the French Revolution. Napoleon was successfully leading military campaigns, succeeding both abroad and squelching counter-revolutionary activities at home. While the people
Napoleon Bonaparte excelled as his role of the emperor of France. Before that, he was a game changing First Consul and revolutionary French General of the French Army. He was diligent and cunning when it came to military plans and military campaigns. Napoleon Bonaparte also
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 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 was a military general for the French government that rose to power in the late 1700s. He basically got into power because no one wanted to take the throne after the French Revolution. He was a brilliant tactician and extremely intelligent. He revised school laws and paved newer roads so the French could travel easier. He even created the metric system to help make measurements easier to read. But, he became power-hungry not too long after he took the throne. Napoleon proclaimed himself Supreme Emperor of France and took off on a conquest in hopes of conquering all of Europe. After many battles and casualties, Napoleon claimed victorious in conquering Europe. He was later defeated by a rebellion amongst many of the more powerful countries of that time, and exiled to an island where he eventually died. Napoleon’s wars and all of the death and despair
Napoleon was an opportunistic leader who’s military genius was unmatched and his political prowess very solid, but his goal of overtaking Europe ended his power. Napoleon was a powerful military leader who was able to gain the respect and admiration of France through his military victories. He saw the opportunity to be the French leader and jumped at it, but his goal of a unified Europe hurt him. His ego also played a part in his fall from power in his ill-advised decision to have his brother rule Spain. Napoleon’s military power was so great that he came close to ruling Europe in its entirety before meeting the end. His rule over France was very successful and he was able to run a country very effectively. He was even able to rule over
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who conquered most of Europe in the early nineteenth century. After a coup in 1799 he crowned himself emperor in 1804. He abdicated the throne after the French attempted to invade Russia in 1812 and exiled, but he returned to power a few years alter only to resign once again after a crushing defeat at the battle of Waterloo and exiled to the island of Saint Helena and died at age 51. Bonaparte was known as an astute, ambitious, and extremely skilled military strategist as he waged war and expanded his empire.