Lafayette vs. Napoleon: True Revolutionary
Lafayette vs. Napoleon: True Revolutionary
Like many revolutionaries, Napoleon and Lafayette were both beloved by their followers and were forever praised for their accomplishments. There were different angles taken by each individual to reach their goal. As we find out in Lafayette in Two Worlds by Lloyd Kramer, Lafayette’s influence on America and how his legacy in both the American and French revolutions assisted one another to make him a important figure in both societies. In Felix Markham’s Napoleon, Napoleon is a revolutionary at heart, beginning in his childhood days. He wants the fame and power of a revolution and achieves it by climbing up the political ladder. It is important to understand that while both Lafayette and Napoleon contributed to the revolution, that the way they went about donating to the cause was in their own individual manor. This potentially can skew people’s view of how revolutionary each individual was.
Lafayette’s main focus was achieving his goal on helping out the cause until it was a success. He was known as the “hero of two worlds,” because of his “unique status as a surviving symbol of both the American and French Revolutions” (Kramer 2). Lafayette was a leader to almost everybody and was an “important figure for a remarkably diverse group of military leaders, political activists, revolutionaries, intellectuals, writers, artists, and early feminists” (Kramer 6). When Lafayette traveled across the Atlantic to assist the Americans with their revolution, he brought over an expertise and guidance that would help the Americans win the war. “His presence in the Continental army lent an aura of legitimacy and European support to the American struggle” (Kramer 18). The American army felt that they were behind in battle techniques and felt that a superior officer from Europe would help the cause tremendously. While assisting the American army, Lafayette was very courteous and modest when it came to engaging himself with the troops
Like many revolutionaries, Napoleon and Lafayette were both beloved by their followers and were forever praised for their accomplishments. There were different angles taken by each individual to reach their goal. As we find out in Lafayette in Two Worlds by Lloyd Kramer, Lafayette’s influence on America and how his legacy in both the American and French revolutions assisted one another to make him a important figure in both societies. In Felix Markham’s Napoleon, Napoleon is a revolutionary at heart, beginning in his childhood days. He wants the fame and power of a revolution and achieves it by climbing up the political ladder. It is important to understand that while both Lafayette and Napoleon contributed to the revolution, that the way they went about donating to the cause was in their own individual manor. This potentially can skew people’s view of how revolutionary each individual was.
Lafayette’s main focus was achieving his goal on helping out the cause until it was a success. He was known as the “hero of two worlds,” because of his “unique status as a surviving symbol of both the American and French Revolutions” (Kramer 2). Lafayette was a leader to almost everybody and was an “important figure for a remarkably diverse group of military leaders, political activists, revolutionaries, intellectuals, writers, artists, and early feminists” (Kramer 6). When Lafayette traveled across the Atlantic to assist the Americans with their revolution, he brought over an expertise and guidance that would help the Americans win the war. “His presence in the Continental army lent an aura of legitimacy and European support to the American struggle” (Kramer 18). The American army felt that they were behind in battle techniques and felt that a superior officer from Europe would help the cause tremendously. While assisting the American army, Lafayette was very courteous and modest when it came to engaging himself with the troops
Cited: Kramer, Lloyd. Lafayette in Two Worlds. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1996. Markham, Felix. Napoleon. New York: First Mentor Printing, 1966.