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Napoleon Bonaparte

In 1799, after years of war and domestic problems, Napoleon Bonaparte took over the reigns of government in France. The people of France believed that a strong military leader was what they needed to restore stability and peace to their nation, so even though Napoleon attained his power through a coup, the French people allowed him to rule. Napoleon was an egotistical little warrior, coming from rather crude beginnings, with lofty ideas and ambitions. Seeing himself as ". . . the destined Savior of the French (Lerner 711), he intended to take over the continent of Europe using any means necessary. In many of his campaigns he was relatively successful and in spite of a brief exile to Elba, he retained control of the French military and government until his defeat at Waterloo and his final exile to St. Helena. Had he not died on St. Helena (some say he was murdered), he may well have returned to France in another attempt to conquer Europe.

Napoleon was born in Corsica. His family was said to have been titled. Napoleon, however, was less than a gentleman. He would have been considered a rude oafish little man. Oddly enough this is partly what attracted him to the middle class people of France who had long been living under the thumb of the privileged class. Napoleon attended the military academy in Paris where he learned how to use his brilliant mind to the best advantage. A child of the Enlightenment, Napoleon's ". . . strengths as a leader lay in his ability to conceive of financial, legal, or military plans and then to master their every detail . . ." (Lerner 711). Had he not had such a large ego and such lofty ideas he may well have been a boon to the French people and her government.

Shortly after Napoleon took power he convinced the people to vote for a new constitution. This constitution would provide that all decisions regarding the government and the military would be made by Napoleon himself. The people of...

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Napoleon Bonaparte. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 01:45, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1702852.html