Slade Rheaume Dr. Claussen Europe and Empire 7th November 2017 Research Paper The French Revolution began as an expression of rebellion against centuries of absolute rule in France. After an interim of experimental liberalism under the rule of Jacobins and Girondins and then the infamous reign of terror, the people of French were drawn to a man who promised them a return to stability, and honor through the expansion of empire. France and it’s people had long yearned for this sens eof honour, it had seemed, and could finally sens eit in a lasting rpesence under the rule of their prodigious, unbeatable general, Napoleon Bonaparte. He would soon take the reigns of civil government as well and become yet another Absolutist ruler, yet this …show more content…
Napoleon seemed to have been seen as a man chosen and destined by god to find victory, though in reality he was a workaholic, and spent long nights carefully drafting his plans for battle. He was careful to maximize his manpower where it counted most. That said, Napoleon saw a value in remaining unpredictable, always maintaining an aggressive stance to force his opponent to respond to his moves. He often determined that the “moment” was more important than manpower. Often, after maneuvering for some time, Napoleon would order his men to charge towards the enemy’s approximate location. Sometimes he himself recalls that the approximation was weak, but it was more important to move quickly and definitely, than to wait for complete intelligence to reveal the true nature of the enemy’s whereabouts. Napoleon did not hold many rules on his troops when on the march, only that they move at a steady pace and stay close together so that they could get into formation quickly. Ultimately, it is clear that Napoleon had a natural gift for choosing the right moves, and furthermore seemed to be at his best when under the pressure of an intense battle, while the commanders of other armies tended to mishap. Napoleon is widely considerred a military genius, and by his very own definition this requires an above superior
Napoleon uses education and learning to help him obtain and maintain power. Napoleon seems to use the Proverb “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth
Napoleon Bonaparte was a patriotic and passionate man. He was a military genius who indelibly stamped his personality on an era. His theories about waging war, his conduct of campaigns, and battlefield tactics all became benchmarks for military commanders throughout the 19th century and today. “If I shall be defeated here this day it would be by the greatest general in the modern world” (Field Marshall Lord Wellington cited in Vandalia 1963:78)
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered as one of the greatest minds in military history. His revolutionary approach to warfare changed the course of history and the principles which governed his style of leadership are still valued today. Although he had an illustrious career of over 25 years and expanded the French Empire from Portugal to Russia, his reign came to end at the hands' of his enemies. The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon's last stand as a military commander and will be examined for his use of the principles of the operations process. Napoleon failed to implement these activities effectively and is ultimately responsible for the loss of the battle. Napoleon was able to lead his men, but was unable to overcome his
Napoleon was born in Corsica, Italy and was entered directly into the Military, at age ten. Napoleon's leadership, and role as emperor, was heavily based around the fact that all of his childhood was being trained in the military! Some people view this in a negative light (seeing other people just as a target, and appreciating human life.) Some people on the other hand, view this in a positive light (Being a good instructor, and knowing how to make the right moves with politics.) During the French revolution the citizens of France tried to create a republic, and when they failed continuously, Napoleon Bonaparte stepped up and became a strong leader in France. In 1799, the government started to grow more and more corrupt, and that's when Napoleon came into play. Napoleon was an
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
Napoleon Bonaparte was indoctrinated into a military mindset at a very surprising age of 10. At that age he entered in a very elite school where he and his brother Joseph entered together. The School they entered was Autun navel school in Burgundy France for the children of wealthy families at that time. He did not have tons of money growing up but he was privileged enough considering his father was a lawyer. After being at Autun college for only a few short months he transferred to Brienne another military school in France. He switched colleges because Brienne college focused on artillery as apposed to Autun college that was a navel school. His overall strength may have been influenced by the death of his father at a very young age. After his father die he graduated 2 years early from military
In a letter written to General Jean Le Marois on July 9, 1813, Napoleon stated, “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.” His opinion is significant, because during the chaotic years of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte was able to rise to power by proving that nothing is impossible when achieving the best and setting your mind to do so. In addition, during the French Revolution, Napoleon gradually rose into power by overthrowing the directory that people had problems with and creating a monarchy in France. Napoleon’s statement is relevant, because we later on see the ability he had to take control in France and reform it in many ways, such as establishing the Napoleonic Code.
Napoleon: Hero or Tyrant? In the wise words of Napoleon Bonaparte, “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.” Though he didn’t know it when he spoke these sagacious words, it would soon come to the attention of all, that he was predicting his own demise.
Napoleon Bonaparte as a Hero to the Ideas of the French Revolution Bonaparte Napoleon is one of the famous French leaders who gained power during the French Revolution. He is one of the most controversial leaders in the country, particularly relating to his contribution to the Revolutionary ideals. Some people consider him a legend or hero, while others see him a villain. His supporters claim that he rescued the Revolution from external threats and internal chaos, while his opponents suggest that he begun unnecessary wars with smaller states, institutionalizing an autocracy in the country. Looking at the history of the country before his leadership provides evidence of his heroic actions.
A great leader shares his followers’ pain and can connect with everyone. On the battlefield Napoleon worked as hard as all the other soldiers, reloading cannons and doing other jobs that were beneath him, that he could have just assigned to someone else. This made the soldiers love and trust him even more and feel more loyalty towards him. Any leader can dictate orders and send armies out to war, but a great leader stands and fights with his army. Back in France, Napoleon did many things for the people. He rebuilt the city of Paris from its post-revolution shambolic state to a beautiful city with parks and boulevards and even a sewer system (History.com). He created a central banking system by giving complete control of the issuing of notes (money) to the new central bank, the Banque de France which he had created on January 18, 1800, and backing it firmly with gold and silver. This helped to stabilize France’s drowning economy. Napoleon also designed a system of higher education called Lycées, which were secondary schools meant to train the future leaders of France (Lycée). He supported science and the arts and he tried to improve France’s relationship with the Pope after they had begun de-Christianization during the revolution. Napoleon really tried to make the people happy, to prevent them from rising against him and they never did. This indicates that he was a successful
He was a charasmatic, yet unforgiving gentleman. He was ruthless in battle, and quickly became known as one of the best military strategist of all time. He had an impecable command presence and expected discipline among his men. To put his mannerism into perspective, the term shortman syndrome, or also referred to as Napoleon Syndrome is when someone of short height, that dosn’t look that physically intimidating basically makes up for it, with an extremely confrontational and commanding personality. His personality alone would have made Napoleon loved by the french people because he could quickly give order where there was chaos… something much needed in France at the
Napoleon may have been the greatest general of all time, however he failed as an Emperor. As a youth he displayed natural abilities and a work ethic that allowed him to quickly achieve notoriety and a very high military rank. He was unarguably a great military strategist who won decisive victories thought out most of his military career. His intelligence and charm gained him loyalties and personal success during a uniquely historical and political time period in France. Napoleon had inherited his army and politics of his military station making the most of circumstances without the ability to build or create anything lasting himself. He did have an instinctive genius which is very different than being a professional. The same personality and
Napoleon Bonaparte, had a great impact in developing the French education. People can see that in the rise and falls of the Europe history can come from the education that they had back then. The education fell down badly with the closing of the Roman Empire. King of the Franks came in 768 A.D. because of the reign of charlemagne. Napoleon Bonaparte had won many of his battles that he was in. Plus Napoleon gained a lot of favor in the battles. Even though Napoleon was in a lot of battles he also was somewhat known as an administrator. One of Napoleon's goals was to make France a great nation. He even had a great importance on his mind which was the education for people. The Pope and Napoleon fixed the religious and education with a Concordat.
Napoleon was a military genius because his military innovations were present over Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. An author who cites Napoleon’s military gift to warfare is Rothenberg: “Armies manoeuvred in corps, divisions and brigades and fought in columns and skirmish lines supported by massed batteries of mobile field artillery “(301). This author states the different organizations, strategies and tactics kept after Napoleon’s retreat. The numerous
Referencing situational theory, Bonaparte was excellent at reading his soldiers and the people as both a military leader and a politician. He knew what to say and to whom to say it, to accomplish his tasks: “A leader is a dealer in hope.”. He developed enough of a relationship with his subordinates to identify and adapt what methods of leadership he needed to be successful, whether that was a ruthless dictator, the seen leader, or the strategist.