The Pros and Cons of Napoleon Rule
Overview
Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the land generals in history whose legacy lives to date. His story is one of the greatest stories in European history. He was born off the Island of Italy as a son of a minor noble. When he joined the French army, he quickly rose to higher ranks and gained power that made him become an emperor in control of France and conquered most parts of Europe (Lyons, 1994). He did this out of his skills and abilities that put him in a good position to seize favorable conditions to his advantage. During his life, he showed different good principles from which anyone can learn from, but also exhibited traits that have been common among dictatorial leaders who abuse the powers vested on them.
Laying the Foundation for Good and Evil
The reign of the terror set the stage for Napoleon’s rule. Maximilien Robespierre led radicals in their attempt to turn France into a “Republic of Virtue” and completely eradicate monarchy and the Catholic Church (Lyons, 1994). Anyone who opposed or was suspected of opposing the revolution faced the wrath, referred to as the guillotine and which was granted on orders from the “Committee of Public Safety.” During the “Reign of Terror” that lasted between 1973 and 1974, there were thousands of people who lost their lives until the terror ended with the execution of its perpetrator, Robespierre. After that, moderate and conservative leaders took control of power in France and formed a
The Reign of Terror began by the public beheading by guillotine of Louis XVI, This event took place on the 21st of January. As evidenced by Document F, An attendee says “The king’s blood flowed and cries of joy from eighty thousand armed men struck my ears. I saw people pass by arm in arm laughing and chatting familiarly as if they were at a festival.” (Document F.) This depicts the graphical display put on by the executioners. which is an example of the French government implementing fear tactics to rule over their people. Shortly after his wife Marie Antoinette was guillotined to death publicly. The Reign of Terror lasted 18 months. During this period a man named Maximilian Robespierre led the government. He executed a large number of people who he thought could be enemies or somewhat threats to his new fragile form of government. It was rumored that he had spies everywhere who would turn others in, just for not being enthusiastic about the revolutionaries form of government. also if an individual complained or made a comment pertaining negatively to life in France after the revolution they would be executed. His Reign of Terror not only focused upon the citizens of his country but it also focused upon specific groups. For example his Reign of Terror also focused upon the catholic church. The catholic church had been in power for a very long time, and had a very large influence on modern society and culture.
On September 5, 1793, the National Convention of France declared terror “the order of the day,” which essentially meant that the government would take any and all necessary measures to maintain a sense of peace and stability. Strict laws and policies were imposed to ensure that the nation would continue to evolve and change. This day marked the beginning of the infamous Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror was a period of turmoil in France following the onset of the French Revolution in 1789. Extreme violence and unwarranted brutality became standard during this decade. The head of the revolution and primary leader of the Committee of Public Safety was a French politician named Maximilien Robespierre.
The Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre, was a frightening period during the French Revolution that occurred to bring liberty, property, and equality to the citizens of France so they could live in peace within the government. The Reign of Terror began after the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793 to late July 1794. Between those 18 long months, more than 20,000 french citizens were put to the death by the guillotine; a machine used for beheading people. The threats, methods, and ideals are the reasons for why the Reign of Terror was not justified.
In the French Revolution, Robespierre had begun ruling in July 1793. Historians call this time period the Reign of Terror. Textual evidence written by historians includes this, “Robespierre justified his use of terror by suggesting that it helped French citizens to remain true to the ideals of the Revolution” (Modern World History).
During the French Revolution, there was a period of radical ideas and actions. This period is known as the Reign of Terror. The reign of terror was not justified because of the revolutionaries failure to follow their original beliefs, the threats received by the revolutionaries wasn’t severe enough for such drastic actions, and the brutal methods used were unnecessary. The beliefs of the revolution were not followed through; making the Reign of Terror period unjustified. In the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens, article 10 states “no one should be silenced on account of his opinions, including his religious views” (doc A).
What would start as an act to protect people from the abuses of the government, would turn into one of the most oppressive periods of French History, giving it the name: Reign of Terror. King Louis XIV’s expensive and unnecessary war debts and lavish expenditures left his citizens starving and without a platform. In order to solve this, Louis XIV raised taxes, making the very mistake of King George III that led to the American Revolution. The social classes were called to reach a solution, but as always reached a stalemate. Delegates of the Estates General then took for themselves their natural right to dissention, and created the National Assembly. Regarding the right to dissent, the right to one’s own religious views,
The Reign of Terror was a period of violence that succeeded the beginning of the French Revolution; it was caused by conflict between two rival political parties, and tens of thousands were executed by guillotine on account of being ‘enemies of the revolution’. The French Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille, and since then the government had been in a state of constant turmoil. Civil war broke out in multiple regions and various foreign countries started attacking France on all sides; a man named Maximilien Robespierre, who belonged to a radical group known as the Jacobins, saw his chance and seized the government along with his fellow extremists. The Jacobins felt that “it was their duty to preserve the revolution, even if it meant violence and terror” which
Napoleon Bonaparte, an influential leader of France, was a man of many facets. On one the one hand, Napoleon was a strong leader who created durable institutions and strengthened France, but on the other, there is a more pitiful view of Napoleon. The view of Napoleon was initially very positive: he viewed himself as a protector of the people, and the people saw this too; however, over time, this image was greatly worsened, due to military hardship.
The French Revolution began in 1789 as an attempt, by the revolutionaries, to form a new government that would give the people more liberty, equality and value people’s rights. Between 1793 and 1794 the government used extreme ways to achieve their goals. This period of time, led by Robespierre, was called the reign of Terror because between 20,000-40,000 french people were killed by the government forces. The Reign of Terror was not justified for three reasons:The external and internal threat did not deserve it, they denied natural rights against people who opposed them and the methods of the Terror were too extreme.
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.
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
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader and eventual political leader in France who was able to seize power during the end of the French Revolution of the late 1790's and early 1800's. Napoleon was the leader of France from 1804 to 1815 and mostly remembered as a leader in a cycle of European battles. He institutionalized the changes brought about by the French Revolution and sought to spread them throughout Europe. It has been long debated the factors that allowed Napoleon to seize power and eventually crown himself emperor. Such factors that have been considered have been Napoleon's personality, his military exploits, the failings of the Directory, support of the people and army and even sheer luck.
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 Reign of Terror was one of history's symbolic events that have changed the world for the better. Have started with King Louis XVI's reign in 1789 to 1793 (document B); which lead France down a rabbit hole of poverty, starvation of the people, and an unfair tax system (background essay). All of France's problems have manifested into something that King Louis has done, but cannot stop. With the help of Maximilien Robespierre, the Reign of Terror was declared to fix a corrupted government. The Reign of Terror was justified to rebuild the government that problems that Louis XVI created. With the help of Robespierre and the death contraption known as the guillotine, the Reign of Terror served it's purpose and helped France with its
Napoleon’s political ideas were efficient and worked well to rule a country; he even adapted his ideas to help France run more efficiently. The Napoleonic Code gave equality to all male citizens and he rehabilitated the Catholic Church for his people, despite his belief in religious freedom. He created a bureaucracy with subprefects, prefects, and mayors that ran France. All of these ideas helped France run smoothly.