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Napoleon-Tyrant or benevolent dictator

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  • 15-08-2009 12:10am
    #1
    Barry O D
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14 ✭


    Napoleon has been a contreversial issue through out history, the common beleif derived from the British is that he was a war mongerer and a tyrant, while thers more recent historians have claimed he was to a degree a benevolent dictator taking france from anarchy and creating a political system that the current system is derived from.
    I just wanted to know other peoples opinions as this is a subject that I have studied much myself


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    #2
    McArmalite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    Barry O D wrote: »
    Napoleon has been a contreversial issue through out history, the common beleif derived from the British is that he was a war mongerer and a tyrant, while thers more recent historians have claimed he was to a degree a benevolent dictator taking france from anarchy and creating a political system that the current system is derived from.
    I just wanted to know other peoples opinions as this is a subject that I have studied much myself

    Well from what I learned myself and from talking to French people, they seem to regard him as a necessary evil at the time as the revolution was threatened by the imperial states of Europe who feared it's success would spread throughout Europe. It was either accept him or the revolution be crushed. Undoubtedly one of the greatest generals of all time, however he was an extremely egotistical individual and as some French people have said to me, he took control of France for his own ego.

    24 year old Napoleon made his name for himself at the Siege of Toulon which featured on RTE2 a few weeks ago. A junior officer at the time, he took command from a bumbling old fellow and drove the british and Spanish off who were trying to invade southern France at the time. He was wounded in the thigh during the battle. Wellington, when asked who was the greatest general of the day, answered: "In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon."
    Probably his biggest legacy is the Napoleonic legal system known as the Napoleonic Code which is the legal system used throughout continental Europe.


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    #3
    meathstevie
    Registered Users Posts: 4,772 ✭✭✭meathstevie


    Tagging on to McArmalite's last line; Napoleon was a visionary in many ways.

    He set up a civil law code of which still forms the backbone of civil law in quite a few continental countries.

    He broke the control of the church and religious orders over society to a large extent.

    He was responsible for setting up the local authority system which France, Belgium and Holland still use today with towncouncils and elected mayors who's powers and responsibilities are a different kettle of fish compared to county councillors over here.

    He set up a justice and policing system who's blueprint is still in use today.

    He set up a comprehensive civil registry system, that's how the Dutch got their funny surnames by the way.

    He was probably one of the brightest military leaders of his time.


    He was also a man responsible for a serious amount of war mongering and loss of life but at no time did he wage a campaign of genocide or mass murder like for example Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Mao and countless others have done.


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    #4
    Morlar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,273 ✭✭✭Morlar


    I think declaring himself emperor permanently alienated many people across europe who up until then supported him (including Beethoven who scrawled out his name from the dedication of his 'Eroica' Symphony).

    I think like most historical figures if you take periods of their life in context there was good and bad about them, in my opinion (based on what little I know about him) history in the final verdict has been fair to him.


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    #5
    mega man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 370 ✭✭mega man


    Barry O D wrote: »
    Napoleon has been a contreversial issue through out history, the common beleif derived from the British is that he was a war mongerer and a tyrant, while thers more recent historians have claimed he was to a degree a benevolent dictator taking france from anarchy and creating a political system that the current system is derived from.
    I just wanted to know other peoples opinions as this is a subject that I have studied much myself

    i suppose you could compare him to adolf hitler


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    #6
    Manach
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,679 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manach


    He laid the foundation template for future military seizures of power from duly elected quasi-democratic parliaments and on numerous occasions turned down reasonable peace proposals which would have saved French territories.
    [Source : "Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna " ]

    Saying that, he did project a certain air of greatness: captured in pictures such as David's 'Crossing the Alps'.


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    #7
    Fratton Fred
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    I think it would be fair to say that the only reason he did not create an empire as big as Britain's is because he was defeated.

    i don't think Napoleon was any worse than any other european leader at the time, but to say he was benevolant is a touch generous i think.

    As Mega Man kind of said, Hitler was a great leader if you were a white, able bodied hetrosexual, vegetarian, animal loving German.


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    #8
    Bragadin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24 ✭Bragadin


    He wasn't benevolent, although some would rightly believe the law he instituted in some conquered territories was more liberal then the pre existing ones, he also took steps to newter and disrupt his client states. He had no respect for foreign powers and subjected them to humiliation and punishment when they did not acquiesce. Certainly to the other powers of europe he was indeed a tyrant.


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    #9
    Fratton Fred
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    A couple of useless titbits that people probably know anyway.

    The Martello towers were built as a defence against a possible French invasion, but were all but obsolete as soon as they were finished.

    Napoleon's great nephew (I think that was the relationship) was killed by Zulu's whilst fighting for the British during the Zulu uprising.


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    #10
    McArmalite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    mega man wrote: »
    i suppose you could compare him to adolf hitler
    Fratton Fred wrote: »
    I think it would be fair to say that the only reason he did not create an empire as big as Britain's is because he was defeated.

    i don't think Napoleon was any worse than any other european leader at the time, but to say he was benevolant is a touch generous i think.

    As Mega Man kind of said, Hitler was a great leader if you were a white, able bodied hetrosexual, vegetarian, animal loving German.
    As meathstevie said " He was also a man responsible for a serious amount of war mongering and loss of life but at no time did he wage a campaign of genocide or mass murder like for example Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Mao and countless others have done. ". Implying that he was a Hitler type figure is tripe. [pointless brit bashing snipped.Mod]


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