preview

The Revolutions Of The French Revolution

Good Essays

The revolutions that occurred in France and Spain were in different time periods and sought to change their country in different ways. Despite this, there are many parallels in the ideologies and histories of their revolutionary leaders. Looking at this, one might ask how the backgrounds and styles of the leaders affected the outcome of each revolution? Napoleon Bonaparte of the French Revolution (hereafter Napoleon) and Francisco Franco of the Spanish Civil War (hereafter Franco) came from similar backgrounds with a heavy influence on education and military training. Both men fought with a primary motivation of forming a military dictatorship under their rule. One notable area that where they differed is in their leadership: Franco led through fear and intimidation whereas Napoleon led by gaining the respect of his people. With respect to their backgrounds, Francisco Franco and Napoleon Bonaparte came from middle-class families and went on to establish themselves as leaders in military school. Franco was born in “El Ferrol, a small naval base in northwestern Spain,” in Galicia. It is said that the “stereotypical Galician man… is melancholic, soft-spoken, and prudent.” Because of this, many Spaniards argue that Franco’s background in Galicia played a huge role in the type of leader he later became. His father, Nicolás Franco, held a “high-level administrative position” in the Galician region that Franco grew up in. Franco came from a “family with a tradition of staff

Get Access