Marcyanna Mote
Per. 2 3/13/08
Napoleon Bonaparte: (1769-1821)
Who would have known that this day would finally come!? This is the day
when our great opponent falls in shame before all of Europe. Napoleon Bonaparte,
born on Corsica in 1769, passed yesterday, 5 May, after spending six years in exile on
the Island of Saint Helena. Napoleon was claimed to have stomach cancer. In his will,
this French emperor asked to be buried in Seine, but instead was entombed in a porphyry sarcophagus
within the island of Saint Helena.
In his rise to power as Emperor of France Napoleon overcame several obstacles to get his way.
First, Napoleon gained the trust of the people of France by gaining important military status. He used
this to his advantage, understanding, also, that the people did not care for, and did not trust the
Directory. Napoleon used artillery to calm the riots against the corrupt Directory, and soon, in 1804,
established a decree which made himself emperor of France, in a government called the Consulate.
Within his government, the Consulate, Napoleon declared himself First Consul, appointing ambassadors,
ministers, and officials. The leader’s fall from power came in 1815, when the emperor failed to defeat
our own Great Britain at the Battle of Waterloo, and was captured and exiled to the island of Saint
Helena. Over 32,000 French men were lost at this last battle, in addition to the hundreds of thousands
lost collectively through Napoleon-led battles.
Within Napoleon’s reign came more defeats. However, there were many military
accomplishments. Napoleon defeated lands of Italy, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and Poland in various
battles between 1803 and 1815, teaming up with Spain, the kingdom ruled by his brother. Napoleon
never conquered the cities he fought against, but instead only destroyed the armies, sparing the
resources of the lands. French soldiers were heavily armed with artilleries. Nationalism encouraged by
the new government added 3 million French soldiers within 20 years, each serving 4 years of duty.
Overall, Napoleon did a nice job of sparing the lives of French soldiers. For example, while fighting the
Austro-Russian army at the Battle of Austerlitz, the French army only lost 9,000 men, while their
enemies lost 26,000. The tactics Napoleon used made him nearly impossible to beat on the battle field.
However, there were some who did outsmart Bonaparte. The British destroyed the allied
French-Spanish navy at the Battle of Trafalgar, when Great Britain outsmarted the attack plan of the
French, coming in at the rear and center. Great Britain also outsmarted Napoleon with the Continental
System. The Continental System was established by Napoleon against Great Britain, cutting off all trade
between Great Britain and the rest of Europe. This backfired, as Napoleon’s foolishness did not allow
him to see that his rival was planning the same tactic against him. France severely suffered
economically from this. This created a war between the two countries, damaging them further. Another
military mistake of Napoleon was his ego. Napoleon’s ego made him believe that conquering more and
bigger lands was a good idea. However, invading Russia in 1812 proved that Napoleon was able to be in
Marcyanna Mote
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way over his head. Because of Russia’s scorched-earth policy, the destroying of land while retreating,
Napoleon led his army (with limited rations) through the deserted frozen lands of Russia. In this time,
Napoleon lost 400,000 soldiers. Upon reaching the capital, Moscow, Napoleon was dumbfounded to
see that the capital was burning, in order to prevent the French from defeating them. At the return to
France, Napoleon only had an army of 4,500 soldiers.
Napoleon made many reforms within his newly established Consulate. The executive branch
was made up of 3 Consuls who served 10 years each. The legislative branch was divided into two
houses: The Tribunate and Council of State. The Council of State appointed men of high technical
abilities to be trained to rise in political ranking. Economics were improved with the creation of the
Bank of France, and the industrial revolution was brought to the country. The quality of life for peasants
was improved, as many feudal ties were cut. Ties between the Church and State became more defined,
and members of the Church were given governmental positions as well as those Napoleon chose.
Religious tolerance was seen as ethical, as the treatment of Jews was improved. Napoleon established
the Public Works Program which set up orphanages, sidewalks, hospitals, sewers, markets, and fire
departments, better helping the community of France.
Quickly within his reign, Napoleon created the Civil Code, which regulated all parts of life. The
Civil Code gave all equality before the law, and all were given freedom of thought. This sounded okay to
the people of France, however women were no longer thought of as equals to men, supremacy of the
state was ruled, and aristocrats exiled from France were welcomed back by Napoleon. Works of art
stolen from conquered lands were brought into France, and therefore Napoleon declared himself a
‘patron of arts’. Censorship was harshly imposed, including within the newly established schools, in
which only Napoleon’s political, economic, social, and cultural views were shared. The Imperial
University, created in 1808 was established in order to teach students to become one of Napoleon’s
‘right-hand men’. Torture, branding, and executions were brought back, and trial by jury was
discontinued.
Napoleon will be most known for his ego. If Napoleon’s ego was not so strong, he would not
have placed himself in such horrific, unintelligent situations of defeat. Napoleon would have had the
opportunity, given his power, of making himself a legend. This man wanted power and a constant flow
of it, and did anything in his authority to do so. His good acts were meant only to gain the trust of the
people, in order to build up a strong army to defeat whatever country Napoleon willed. This man of
heartlessness and ego will always be remembered for just that.