Preview

Napoleon Bonaparte Heir or Betrayer

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
898 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Napoleon Bonaparte Heir or Betrayer
Napoleon Bonaparte
¬Napoleon Bonaparte has been one of the biggest known leaders and highly debated characters. Known for his leadership skills, but debated for the many different interpretations of his actions. Most historians have believed that Napoleon is either an Heir or a Betrayer. It was through his actions on how you can see how Napoleon is considered a betrayer to the French revolution. This is shown through different actions and the way he handled certain situations. The first sign that he was a betrayer against the French revolution was that he was established as an absolute dictator. Also, Napoleons betrayal is portrayed with the unnecessary wars that bankrupted France due to the idea of expanding his universal brotherhood. Lastly, Napoleons actions were considered to be completely contradictory to the French revolution motto of Liberty Equality Fraternity. As you can see through these three arguments, that Napoleon proves that he really is a betrayer to the French revolution. The basis of the French revolution was that the people wanted to get rid of the absolute monarchy that had no interest in serving the 3rd estate. Napoleon on the other hand, did the opposite of what the French revolution wanted. He maintained power, and became an absolute dictator that made all the decisions in his own interest. With all this power, Napoleon showed that he was a betrayer, because he did not do anything for the good of the people, rather he did it for his own interests. One example, is that instead of allowing people to vote, Napoleon established representative institutions that only gave the illusion of democracy because really they had no power. Also, in the beginning of his dictatorship, he established the “Coup D’Etat” which made himself the first consul which later on allowed him to crown himself Emperor. This can be considered a betrayal because he was crowning himself “king” in a sense. Clearly, these arguments show how Napoleon, although a great

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte was the first emperor of France from 1804 to 1814. He is famous for his efforts to form a connected Europe that France would lead. His career as a military and political leader led to many big accomplishments, but unfortunately he became too greedy over time leading to his exile.…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dbq 11 American History

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I think that Napoleon in a way demonstrated French Revolution ideals. The French Revolution ideals were for equality and rights for the people, but Napoleon took away a many of the rights that people wanted. The people of France were not allowed to gather in groups of people and discuss beliefs that did not follow Napoleons, and he re-established slavery. He also controlled everything that was published and banned some authors from writing or publishing books during his reign. To me he wanted the people to believe in this ideals rather than promote them to have their own beliefs and thoughts, and being killed for thinking differently to me is not equality or a…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon Response Final

    • 1102 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The are two sides to every story. The French Revolution brought significant change to France during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was a period of time that produced a remodeling of the French Government system, an Enlightened mindset, and the rise of a new prominent ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte. Emperor Napoleon, as he so deemed himself, initially took on his duties by trying to bring together what had been a much divided nation. He made concessions with both the left (the constitutionalists) and the right (the monarchists). His concessions earned him respect from many, however, as his power grew and grew, Napoleon developed a tendency to rely strongly on his military to gain power. His militaristic eagerness to monopolize Europe earned him much respect and praise from the French people, but very infrequently do we recognize those individuals that served in the military to carry through Napoleon’s aggressive orders. Those who fought for Napoleon’s success received very little in return; much to lack of motivation. Fortunately for the world, Jakob Walter’s story as a conscript for Napoleon’s Grand Army has been public for the world. His powerful accounts of the pitiful conditions that conscripts endured during their wartime travels would give many a different opinion of the “Great” Napoleon. As mentioned earlier, there are two sides to every story.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has not been a man so widely interpreted as Napoleon in European history. His early heroic reputation is questioned because of other dictators who went down the same path as he did but for other reasons, such as Stalin and Mussolini. The French Revolution had three goals, liberty, equality, and fraternity, and to make it truly successful these goals must be achieved. Freeing the French, making them equal within themselves, and unifying them, is what Emperor Bonaparte strived for with the Napoleonic Code. Although most believe he did not acquire Liberty, they are content with his achievements. Napoleon not only finished the revolution, he finished with what everyone expected, the demise of the King and the equality among all people. Napoleon truly is "the debate…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Flyer project

    • 322 Words
    • 1 Page

    Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruthless killer who hungered for power alone. He sacrificed much in order to contribute a great deal to the world by winning battles and discovering things such as the Rosetta Stone in Egypt. His thirst for control and power cost him everything he worked so hard for consequently leading to exile. Napoleon had many different sides to him. To some, he was an extraordinary military commander who led an army to victory. To others, he was a distinguished civil administrator. This is some of the positive effects and the negative effects Napoleon showed.…

    • 322 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte Dbq

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the 1800’s, multiple countries and territories came together as one Empire in France, eventually becoming the French Empire. At this time Napoleon was in charge. Napoleon showed good leadership and respect for his troops and people. For example, after the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, Napoleon proclaimed his pride for his troops, saying how he was pleased by what they showed on the battlefield at Austerlitz. He stated “In less than four hours, an army of 100,000 men, commanded by the emperors of Russia and Austria, were cut up and scattered… more than 30,000 men taken prisoner, the results of this day will forever be famous…” he continued talking about their bravery and how he was proud. From that success, the rulers of Austria, Prussia,…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout time, the history of Napoleon is retold over and over again. His conquests of Europe are legendary. He is considered one of the greatest military leaders, his victories are widely known, yet people seem to forget his losses. Napoleon had many domestic and diplomatic/military achievements, some were great and others were his worst blunders.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The actions and decisions Napoleon made during his rule over France give evidence that he was a tyrant. A tyrant is defined as a ruler who uses power unjustly or oppressively. Napoleon used his power in both of those ways. He not only limited who had power in society, but also controlled the church. By trying to monopolize all of Europe, it is shown how harsh Napoleon's rule was and how tyrannical he really was.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte DBQ

    • 614 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The ideals of the French Revolution were "Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity," but the methods that were used to fulfill these goals were complicated. During the Reign of Terror, about 40,000 people were guillotined because of Maximilien Robespierre. He thought that “Liberty could not be secured unless criminals lose their heads”. Napoleon Bonaparte, a Revolutionary hero, seized control of the government in France in 1799, he was looking to bring peace to the French people by ending the Revolution. For this to be done, he had to be in complete control like a monarch or a dictator. However, the French people still wanted to have some of the privileges they had during the Revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte stabilized and united French society, yet supported the ideals of French Revolution.…

    • 614 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte was a very influential character in the history of France. When Napoleon rose to power, many reforms were made regarding the social system, economics, education, and political aspects. For some, the reforms made under his rule were for the better of the people, but others viewed the reforms as negative changes. Nonetheless, Napoleon will always be thought of as a powerful figure in the French Revolution. A leader from the beginning, Napoleon was sent to France for military training at age nine.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Was Napoleon Bonaparte a hero or a tyrant? Did the good of his actions outweigh the bad? Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who rose to power during the French Revolution. He eventually conquered most of Europe and named himself emperor. I believe that Napoleon was a tyrant for a few different reasons. These include that he was egotistical, selfish, and untruthful.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte Tyrant

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Born in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most famous people of French history. Being immersed in the military from the age of 9 and on, it is no wonder that he became one of, arguably, the best military leaders of all time. But, the question comes about, was Napoleon a hero or a tyrant? Along with the many good things that Napoleon did to help the people of France after the French Revolution, came some very, very bad things. In no time he went from being loved and adored by the people of France to being absolutely loathed. Some people argue that even with all the bad things that he did, Bonaparte was still a hero, but how can somebody who did so many terrible things still be a hero? Napoleon was a tyrant because of his belief in equality for only half of the…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon’s personal greed for power drove him to infringe the basic principles of the revolution on the rights to hereditary and absolute rule. Robespierre, an enlightened leader of the Jacobins, stated that the purpose of the French Revolution was to abolish absolute monarchy and institute a “democratic or republican government” that could help increase political equality within a nation (Robespierre). However, Napoleon rejected any republican form of government; he was solely concerned with maintaining a “hereditary power, which… may endure for generations, even for centuries” (Selected). Ironically though, in hopes to gain popularity among members of the 3rd estate, he abolished the power of the nobility and appointed governors that were loyal to the central government. Not only did he crown himself emperor of France, but also, “he established an imperial court and the members of his family were made royalty, while other titles and honors were given to his…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    During Napoleon’s reign as Emperor of the French Empire he made laws, or a set of codes, that applied to all of France. He enacted laws that protected the people, promoted religious tolerance and took away the serfdom and feudalism systems, all of which gave people more freedom over their land to support themselves and their families. The well-being of the people was compromised since the workers lacked many rights, this being evident by the fact that trade unions and strikes were illegal, which encouraged employer abuse.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Napoleon rose to power during the aftermath of the French Revolution. He staged a coup d'état and installed himself as First Consul, later becoming the emperor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time because of his success in his wars. Napoleon sought to spread ideas of the French Revolution but contradicted them in many ways.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays