Name: _____Elizabeth Tran______________
Block: _5___
Date: ___11/6__
Topics discussed on PBS Site:
Youth and Family Life:
 Born on 15 August 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, a year after the island was transferred to France by
the Republic of Genoa.
 He would spend his childhood hating France
Napoleon’s father Carlo, a twenty-three year-old university student, readily submitted to French
rule
 Napoleon never forgave his father for betraying his Corsican heritage
 His mother, Letizia, was an austere woman, toughened by war, who punished her children to
teach them sacrifice and discipline.
 Carlo worked to secure Napoleon a scholarship to Brienne, a private academy in France.
 At the age of 15 Napoleon was promoted to the Royal Military Academy in Paris.
 At 16, he began his apprenticeship as a lowly second lieutenant, training with the best artillery
unit in the French army
 Despite exceeding his leave of absence and leading a riot against a French army in Corsica, he
was promoted to captain in the regular army in July 1792
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The Corsican patriot thought Bonaparte too ambitious, too self-centered, too sympathetic to
France briefly after he became the leader of a faction.
Twenty-four years old, he was banished from the land of his birth.(were called “ traitors and
enemies of the Fatherland, condemned to perpetual execration and infamy." By The Corsican
Assembly )
So he set sail for France with his widowed mother, three brothers and three sisters
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_myth/youth/page_1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon
Tyrant or Hero:
Things to consider…
 A tyrant is defined as a ruler who uses power unjustly or oppressively
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Did Napoleon do more to preserve the legacy of the French Revolution or to destroy it?
Although Napoleon assumed dictatorial powers, he became First Consul as well as
Emperor with the enthusiasm and approval of the French people. Should this affect how
we judge him in the role of "tyrant"?
Must we assume that all conquerors throughout history are villains? When, if ever, can a
conqueror be hero?
Did Napoleon conquer others for a higher purpose, or only for his own glory?
Should a leader's personal and romantic life be factored into the assessment of hero or
tyrant, and if so why or why not?
"My motto has always been," he said, "a career open to all talents, without distinctions of
birth."
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Napoleon also controlled the press, dropping the number of newspapers in Paris from
over sixty in 1799 to four by 1814.
It is only fair that I should do the business my own way.
"To die is nothing," he said, "but to live defeated and without glory is to die every day."
Napoleon created the Napoleonic Code, which guaranteed everyone equal rights except for
women and black people.
He not only limited who had power in society, but also controlled the church.
http://voices.yahoo.com/napoleon-tyrant-hero-3004471.html
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_clas/heroortyrant.html
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_myth/tyrant/page_1.html
Self-made myth:
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propagandist
he carefully crafted reports from the battlefield, designed to increase his glory while masking
the ruthlessness with which he plundered the country.
“Although the Egyptian campaign was a military disaster, Napoleon was able to exploit the
French people's fascination with the mysterious country to his advantage. He used the press to
keep the campaign, and himself, in people’s minds. “
"To die is nothing," he said, "but to live defeated and without glory is to die every day."
Napoleon fought the endless boredom of his days. He gardened, read any book or
newspaper he could get his hands on, tried re-writing a tragedy of Voltaire's
"Even when I am gone, I shall remain in people's minds the star of their rights, my name
will be the war cry of their efforts, the motto of their hopes."
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_myth/self/page_1.html
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_myth/perspective/question2.html
Perspectives on Napoleon:
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“He wanted to convey an image of absolutely immutable authority”
He didn’t have to make himself a emperor. The French people wanted to stay away from
a king initially. And an emperor holds even more power than a king.
He is a very keen man because he is so skillful at manipulating the French people from
seeing him as not really a hero, a majority of them anyway.
Abused his power IMMENSELY.
Doing it for the glory. Not for the people or for France.
He is a very prideful man, but not in a good way because he holds too much pride that
when he failed, it metaphorically killed him.
http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/7/expert/1/index.html
Conclusions you can draw from the information you gathered:
Napoleon can be seen as a hero because he is skillful in keenly manipulating the French people.
He makes it seem to them as though he is fighting to conquer most of Europe for France, for
their country, for them. That makes them oblivious about their limited rights. He limits their right
with the Napoleon Code and controlled the church. He made himself more powerful than the
pope. Something, all of the people would be furious about if it wasn’t for him being so powerful
and seem so “loyal” to them that he deserves it. He really did abuse his power, but in such a
sneaky way it’s ridiculous. Also, since youth, he hated France, so why would he rule for its
benefit? He cares only of himself and the glory he could get out of it. Not for the people. He is
hands down a tyrant.