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Le Monde
1/11/2012
First edition
Napoleon: Hero or Tyrant: You be the Judge!
Christine Le
Napoleon was ambitious, to say the least. He knew what he wanted, and strived to
achieve it. And in his case, he wanted an empire. The life of Napoleon Bonaparte began in
Corsica, a small island off the cost of Italy. As a child, Napoleon actually developed a strong
hatred towards France because of the oppression upon the people of Corsica by the French.
Napoleon’s parents enrolled him in military school from a very young age, and his talent
allowed him to become the head of the French military by the age of twenty six. Napoleon
had great skill and was one of the best military leaders France had ever had. At the height of
Napoleon’s military career, France was governed by the Directory, an inefficient and weak
government. They turned to Napoleon for help, and through a coup d’état, Napoleon became
the leader of France.
This image shows Napoleon at the
St. Bernard Pass in 1801. This
image has been said to be somewhat
false, as Napoleon is shown here as
larger than he actually was and on a
majestic horse when he actually rode
a mule.
People question whether Napoleon was a hero
or a tyrant because although he did many horrible
things, he also helped France in ways that no one else
could. Napoleon’s excellent military leadership
protected the nation in a time of chaos after the French
Revolution. After the Revolution, and especially the
Reign of Terror under Robespierre, France had made
many foreign enemies. The threat of invasion was high,
but under Napoleon’s leadership, France remained
safe from intruders. He drove the British out of
Toulon in 1793, and defeated Austrian troops in Italy
the next year. After ending an uprising by Royalists,
Napoleon was placed in charge of the French interior.
He was a great military leader, and helped France in a
time of need. In the eyes of the French people, he was
a national hero.
One of the main causes of the Revolution was
the financial crisis caused by King Louis XVI’s
negligence and irresponsibility. France was drowning in
debt, and the lower class was struggling under the
enormous taxes they were forced to pay. When
Napoleon became First Consul, he created the Bank of
France. The bank, made in the footsteps of the Bank of
England a hundred years before, had been attempted
several time before, but only under Napoleon’s rule did it succeed. The new banking system
regulated the economy, preventing any future economic crises from occurring. A new system
of tax collection was created that was more efficient.
Another major cause of the Revolution was the inequality among the Estates under the
Old Order. By establishing the Napoleonic Code, Napoleon was able to eliminate the
injustices throughout the country. Laws were the same across France so everyone was
treated equally. The Napoleonic Codes were a great improvement from the inefficient feudal
laws established under the Old Order and the revolutionary governments.
He led the nation through numerous victories while he was in the French military,
successfully protecting France from foreign enemies. However, Napoleon was not invincible.
In 1789, Napoleon wished to disrupt the trade between Great Britain and India, so he led his
troops to Egypt, where he defeated the Ottoman Empire. When Napoleon’s army went up
against Admiral Horatio Nelson’s of Great Britain, however, they were not as successful.
Napoleon, ashamed of his loss, fled back to France, leaving his troops under another officer.
He hid the news of his defeat from the French people and exaggerated his victories. He might
as well have lied to them, but in their eyes, Napoleon Bonaparte was a national hero.
When the people of France allowed Napoleon to become emperor and turn France
into an empire, they were counting on the promises he had made. Napoleon had promised
the French people peace and stability after years of chaos during the French Revolution.
Instead of peace, Napoleon began the Napoleonic Wars in an attempt to conquer Europe. It
was almost as if he was overstepping his boundaries. In 1812, Napoleon attempted to invade
Russia. He took over 400,000 troops to march to Moscow. Once there, they attacked and
burned down Moscow, but were unable to take over. The Tsar, Alexander I, was relentless,
and refused to give up, forcing Napoleon and his army to have to retreat. By the time they
arrived back in Paris, there were only 10,000 soldiers left. In his greed for an empire,
Napoleon led France into many unnecessary wars that cost hundreds of thousands of
deaths.
Napoleon’s defeat in Russia was prompted France’s foreign enemies to invade. The
allies were easily able to invade Paris, forcing Napoleon to give up his throne. He was exiled
to Elba, a small island off the coast of Italy. However, his absence was not long. After a year,
Napoleon left Elba and the French people welcomed him back with open arms. Even after the
French people gave him a second chance, Napoleon would not even stay loyal to his own
country. The Battle of Waterloo followed Napoleon’s return to power. His foreign enemies
sought revenge, and they got it. Led by the Duke of Wellington, British, Belgian, Dutch, and
German troops crushed the French. Instead of facing his defeat, Obviously, Napoleon
refused to accept any sort of loss. He believed that “to live defeated and inglorious is to die
daily.” Nothing mattered more to him than victories. Napoleon once again ran away, except
this time, he attempted to escape all the way to America. He was not fast enough. Napoleon
was captured and exiled again, this time to St. Helena, where he later died.
In many ways, Napoleon Bonaparte was a good man. He possessed great military and
leadership skills. He protected France in a time of need, and reshaped the French
government. But in many ways, Napoleon Bonaparte was a careless and irresponsible. He
led France through countless and unnecessary wars. His greed and selfishness created
many enemies for France. So what is Napoleon Bonaparte? A courageous hero? Or a
ruthless tyrant?
Sources:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/
napoleon_bonaparte.html
http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072957549/student_view0/chapt
er29/interactive_map_quiz.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Code
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_myth/
youth/page_1.html
http://www.napoleon.org/en/essential_napoleon
/dates/index.asp