Major Defeat For The Prussians And Napoleon example essay topic

From the moment of his birth, something in the stars said that Napoleon Bonaparte would one day emerge as the leading power of the French. He was a man of many talents. His distinctive personality was a clear indicator of his glory and fame to come. He tended to appeal to other's senses in order to gain for himself".

His rule was to mark the close of the revolution, a return to order and stability, a rejoining of the history of France with the first stage of the Revolution, but only the first stage " 1. As a strong willed man, Napoleon quickly rose to power in France and was able to subdue most of Europe for roughly twenty years by strategically mending the turmoil caused by the French revolution simply by preserving some its reforms, such as religious tolerance, while also destroying some of its aspects, for example, abolishing political freedom. An individual's personality and upbringing are two major contributors to their actions. Why was Napoleon able to rule with the rigidness and authority that he did Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 just before the wake of the French Revolution in 1789 into the nobility of Corsican society, one that was very simple 2.

Corsican's were strong believers in defense and respect of the family, and a violation of this would mean death 3. Napoleon as well as his brothers and sisters were often spanked by their mother, but. ".. they knew punishment was given in love, and they took it in that spirit " 4. This suggests why Napoleon ruled with such a strong fist when he had an unconditional love for his country. Those who speak of him as a young child remember him very distinctly: .".. he had a quick temper and a mind of his own. His needs always came first. His wishes always had to be satisfied-now.

If not, he'd throw a tantra that neighbors compared to Ashcraft 2 that of a snarling little beast " 5. Could it be justified that Napoleon was a " beast " living in a human's body As a boy, he decided that he wanted to become a soldier 6. He was taught to speak French at a school taught by Catholic priests where he skirmished to be accepted 7. To follow his dream, he eventually transferred to a military school which he thoroughly enjoyed 8. He graduated as a second lieutenant and climbed his way up to achieve the ranks of an officer. Napoleon and Hitler are often compared to each other because just like Napoleon, Hitler also had to struggle to be accepted into society and then found his comfort in a group although a political one 9.

They were also both ambitious and patriotic men. Before France fell into the hands of Napoleon, the nation had been in a complete state of chaos and instability. France, around 1790, had created a constitutional monarchy but was undoubtedly moving toward corruption. The revolutions main objectives were clearly stated with three words: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, all of which Napoleon supported 10. The revolution, as time passed, took a turn for the worst. During the most radical phase of this era, the National Convention attempted to de christianize France around 1793.

They did so by taking actions, one of which was the creation of a new calendar by the National Convention that numbered the years based on the date that the French Republic was declared in 1792 rather than the birth of Christ 11. Since most of the French people remained Catholic, these actions did not go over well with the majority. Ashcraft 3 For example, as supporters of the king", Nothing, royalists believed, justified abolishing their God-given privileges " 12. Many of the people refused to conform to this irrational idea.

Their disagreement in turn led to the spread of war against the Revolution: " The revolutionary army was a popular army fueled by patriotism " 13. Because of the turmoil in France, it was not prepared for war and was in desperate need of military control. Steady protests yielded religious freedom and Catholicism was no longer the universal religion. In time, the monarchy was overthrown, and France rose as a republic toward the end of 1793 and was headed by Maximilien Robespierre, a lawyer by profession. He. ".. believed that people were naturally good - except when they became selfish and corrupt " 14. His attempt to purify France by eliminating the traitors for the good of society was known as the Reign of Terror 15.

Many were executed, and at this point all social classes were in an uproar. In an attempt to protect France from crumbling, the National Convention came to a unanimous decision to overthrow the man that so many feared: Robespierre, and a moderate force was created: the Directory 16. At this point, Napoleon's rank as an officer along and his reputation as an accomplished military leader, made him a perfect candidate for the desperate France in need. The present Directory in power became jealous of the giant steps that Napoleon was taking.

He had negotiated many treaties, such as with the Austrian Empire in 1797, without the Directory's permission 17. Napoleon had in one case even gone against their will and went Ashcraft 4 face to face with Italy in hopes of a negotiation which he did get 18. They had not wanted France to become entangled with Italian affairs, but Napoleon wanted to aid them with their present revolutionary movements. Napoleon had a way with his army as he did with all of those under him. He often gave them speeches of enthusiasm and praise to help them build their ambition with a justifiable cause: " ' Up to this time you have fought for nothing better than barren rocks... Lacking everything, you have made up for everything you lacked.

You have won battles without cannons, crossed rivers without bridges, made forced marches without boots, and bivouacked without brandy and often without bread. Only the soldiers of liberty could have endured what you have endured! For all this, my thanks ' " 19. The Directory's division into two branches that were constantly in disagreement weakened their status and strengthened Napoleon's. In the mean time, politicians had a scheme, one in which Napoleon was not a part of, to overthrow the Directory with a coup d' etat 20. Once the plot had become a reality and the Directory was at last demolished, all was handed over to a committee of three divisions: First, Second, and Third Consul 21.

Napoleon was immediately called on to fill the top position; that of First Consul 22. This basically placed all of the power in the hands of a former military leader which he would remain. A part of Napoleon was saying peace and calm after the Revolution while the other was screaming complete control and restraint 23. Because Napoleon had an appetite for power and had a spoiled disposition, he would not be satisfied until he took his ranks Ashcraft 5 to the farthest step possible: emperor. He did so by appealing to peoples senses"; ' Clever policy consists in making nations believe they are free ' " 24. During the time of Napoleon's transition from Consul to Emperor of France between 1800 and 1804, his achievements both on and off of the battlefield were numerous.

First and for most Napoleon thought it imperative to mend relations with the catholic church that had been ruptured during the Revolution 25. Napoleon was a believer in God but not in what religion taught of him. he felt that a society without religion was lacking: " Religion dulled the pains of overwork and poverty with promises of happiness in the next world. Without it there'd be no morality, no way for society to exist " 26. Under the terms of agreement set by Napoleon in 1801, both sides would gain from the Concordant with the Papacy. The conditions of the Concordant were very defined. The Pope accepted that although Catholicism was not established as the state religion, it was assumed to be the religion of the majority of France which reopened churches and proclaimed religious freedom 27.

In exchange for demanding the Pope to give up the lands that he had detained during the Revolution, Napoleon issued salaries to priests that would be paid by the government 28. These provisions appeased both Napoleon and the Pope, while also bringing him the people's support. The next line of duty for him was to attend to administrative problems and propose solutions. Napoleon's greatest achievement in administrative reform was creating a Ashcraft 6 centralized government 29.

During the revolution, France had been divided into departments that Napoleon was in favor of keeping, because in his eyes, these divisions could only promote unification and centralization of France 30. What he did not agree with was the way in which they were governed, and so he took it upon himself to elect new officials called prefects, who were nominated by First Consul but chosen by the notables 31. Their designated duty was to supervise all that went on under their own division 32. If these forms of government failed to do their job, Napoleon would turn to his action-taking helpers: the soldiers and policemen, and so he had created a police state 33.

Napoleon was never forced to turn to his " helpers " but simply used this idea as initiative for the prefects to do their jobs and do them well. Napoleon also sought financial reform of the government. One of the ideas of the Revolution had been equality, and he aimed at withholding this by creating equal tax while also beginning the Bank of France 34. Equal tax meant that no one could be exempted from taxes based on ethnic or social standing.

During the time of the Directory, government members were allowed to take money from the treasury as they pleased 35. The bank of France helped to control the flow of money to where it was needed not to where it was wanted 36. Napoleon himself was very money conscious and even kept a close eye on the money circulation of his own faithful court 37. Also, running parallel to Ashcraft 7 Napoleon's preservation of equality, government promotion was not determined by ethnic or social standing but simply ability.

Fundamentally, those who were known for their loyal service and accomplishments were those considered for advancement. Napoleon's theory of government " is summarized in two sayings: men are moved by two levers only: fear and self-interest " 38. If France was to survive under Napoleon, legal reform was a necessity. The Revolution had left France with an entanglement of random and contradictory laws: One area might be guided by Church law, another by feudal law, and yet another by ancient customs. Something that was legal in one town might be illegal a few miles away 39. During the Revolution, a total of 14,400 laws had been passed, and not one of them useful to Napoleon 40.

Napoleon once again saw equality as a desire of the French people and so he took action. Although Napoleon sat in on every meeting, he asked a group of trusted men to create a new set of laws for the French in 1804; the product was called the Civil Code 41. A large number of citizens benefited from the new code while some were at a great disadvantage. First, the document reiterated the separation of church and state and also freedom of religion which had already been established 42. Other benefits included the abolition of serfdom and the protection of property rights that had been given to the peasants during the Revolution 43.

Laws against trade unions and strikes were a way to reassure the owners of their position above the workers 44. At this point, Napoleon had cleverly appealed to all levels of society in one form or another. Very Ashcraft 8 similar to the means of government promotion, the Code disregarded a man's background to determine his profession: he was free to choose 45. While men benefited the most from the Civil Code, women and children, in contrast, got the bad end of the deal. If children were disobedient, they could be sent to prison 46. In Napoleon's eyes, women had forever been inferior to men in every way except for their God-given gift to bear children: " Women are our property, mere machines to make children " 47.

Napoleon had clearly denied the equality between men and women unlike he had given to those of different religions. Because the Civil Code yielded far more gains than losses, it served as a foundation for many other countries worldwide such as Japan and the Dominican Republic 48. Becoming Consul and then Emperor did not deplete his ambitions as a military leader. When it came to war, Napoleon was a man of tactic. He believed that through fear, he could slowly but surely gain control of Europe. Napoleon had great respect for what his soldiers did in order to pacify him, but he did not care at all for their individual being.

He was constantly giving awards and promotions, and never refused to hear a soldiers complaints and requests although they probably meant nothing to him 49. It is recorded that his soldiers were stunned when Napoleon offered his headquarters to them during a storm 50. Like the strategy he used to assume the position of Emperor, Napoleon made his soldiers think that he cared for them but deep inside he could care less: " Like anyone else in his empire soldiers were merely tools to be used-and used up-in achieving his aims Ashcraft 9 " 51. Napoleon had his eye set on Italy.

The purpose of this direct attack was to indirectly attack Austria because it owned most of the Italian land 52. The Austrian Army was taken from behind by Napoleon's troops and ultimately defeated in 1801 53. This was a major win for Napoleon but of course he was not satisfied. He defeated Austria again four years later but this time he was up against the Third Coalition: Britain, Russia, Austria, Sweden, and Naples 54. During this time, Napoleon was planning to take on Britain but he had already gotten on the bad side of those countries that were loyal to the British which would give him little foundation 55. When Napoleon gained yet another victory against the Third Coalition, Russia remained at war with France 56.

The Prussians were concerned about the recent defeat of Austria and so they declared war on France, unlike the other battles had been prompted 57. This was a major defeat for the Prussians, and Napoleon had gained again in 1806 58. The Russian's, realizing Napoleon's strength, decided to make peace 59. The plan that Napoleon had been drawing up against Britain would now be taken into action. Napoleon's plan failed.

Britain refused to make peace which infuriated Napoleon 60. He figured that because Britain's power lay in their trade, he would impose economic warfare 61. Napoleon literally blocked off their trade with what was called the Continental System 62. Many other powers bought from and relied on Ashcraft 10 Britain; Napoleon's system not only imposed on Britain but also other countries. Next, Napoleon collapsed the Spanish government and put his brother on the throne 63. Napoleon had made it thus far, but his decision to invade Russia in 1812 turned the tide of his power 64.

The main reason for this defeat was the lack of food supplied to the soldiers as well as the freezing weather conditions 65. Napoleon knew that his army had lost many men as well as hope, but because of his ambition, he did not stop here. Around 1814, another coalition formed against Napoleon that included Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia 66. They invaded Paris and immediately Louis XV took over as emperor 67.

With him he brought back many emigres, supporters of the Revolution, whom the French people mistrusted 68. Napoleon was forced to exile to Elba but only too soon did he return to Paris by escape 69. He was determined not to give up all that he had worked so viciously for. After he pushed Louis XV off of the throne, his people accepted him back with open arms. He even promised to make more reform: freedom of press and lowering the voting standards 70.

Not only Napoleon's supporters awaited his return but also the allies prepared to take him on one last time. During what was called the Hundred Days, at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon came close but not clear of defeating the Prussians 71. This would be the end result of Napoleon Bonaparte who was ironically Ashcraft 11 known for his extraordinary army skill. This time, the British made sure that he would be unable to return. He was taken to and remained for the rest of his life on an island in the middle of the Atlantic 72. And so this was the end of Napoleon and his militaristic powers.

After further research on Napoleon's death, it was suspected that the Bourbons had him slowly and unsuspectingly poisoned with arsenic out of their fear that he would rise up again 73. Napoleon's main tactic was fear and so he had ultimately won. Napoleon wanted other powers to know his strength and superiority. Starting off in a small town as a young man with willpower and manipulation, Napoleon climbed to the top and created what he had lacked before: an enormous empire that he could truly call his own.

He gave hope to many who had lost it during the Revolution. Many of the ideas and reforms that he proposed and created are still in use today". Some stress his magnetism, his charm, his enormous energy and industry; others emphasize his arrogance, egotism, and contempt for human life " 74. Even so, the legend of Napoleon Bonaparte lives.