How is Napoleon viewed today in France?

[RRRaskolnikov]

tx for the clarification Plotinus.

Can any of you recommand some good english books (well not necessarily english, but not french and written in english) about Nappy? I just went through a french bibliography and would like to have the other side of the story. tx in advance.

 

[Dachs]

Bonaparte in what context? He's kind of an enormous topic

 

[RRRaskolnikov]

International context mostly, after the egyptian campaign (excuse my noobish vocabulary, I have no education in history, just interested in it). For instance what started the second coalition wars. But everything u could have would be good I guess

 

[SeekTruthFromFacts]

Latin America doesn't celebrate gladiators or vestal virgins and that doesn't mean there's no purpose in calling it Latin.

Nice example.

 

[Evie]

Hmm. And by the same token, Poland isn't singled out so much, because the blame is "shared" so there's no one single warmonger that people can focus on. Interesting interpretation, there could be something to it.

Though I still think the larger issue (that is, when it comes to popular culture, not to the individual opinion of everyone who dislikes Napoléon) is simply built on Napoléon being an enemy of (Perfidious) Albion. And arguably the most dangerous/powerful she ever faced until a certain mustached austrian showed up. (And thus, the single most visible "Enemy" figure that can be brought up without bringing up genocide, etc).

(Which bring us right back to my original explanation why Quebec is mostly positive about him, of course)

 

[privatehudson]

Well here we hate the british sligthly more.

Except their comedy apparently...

 

[Dachs]

International context mostly, after the egyptian campaign (excuse my noobish vocabulary, I have no education in history, just interested in it). For instance what started the second coalition wars. But everything u could have would be good I guess

Paul W. Schroeder, The Transformation of European Politics 1763-1848 focuses on the Napoleonic era

 

[Communisto]

Hah. Blue (like Heaven's skies) is the only proper french color, and red (like the flames of hell) the only proper British one.

Considering your patriote stance, I find your faith in the French Empire disturbing

 

[Evie]

XD, oh, I don't have much faith in the French empire and I certainly wouldn't want to be part of it at any point. Very good thing having that nice little sea between us and them; No one likes living under a bully.

But here it's a choice between two horrible big bullies, and, hey, one of them used to bully us Quebecers while the other's a cousin of ours who really didn't have much to do with us. Of course I'm going to be unabashedly biased in favor of the later XD.

 

[Domen]

Russia had civilization?

Can't tell if trolling or just trolling.

Just fought trolling with trolling.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Are we comparing ambition of success? If it's the first, how about one of these monarchs named Henry?

Henry seemed pretty content with passivity on his border rather then effectively expanding his kingdom, at least to the West. He's pretty much the least ambitious King in that regard for several centuries.

 

[Verbose]

Henry seemed pretty content with passivity on his border rather then effectively expanding his kingdom, at least to the West. He's pretty much the least ambitious King in that regard for several centuries.

Of the several Henrys, I was mainly thinking about V and VIII.

 

[ParkCungHee]

I was talking about the Eighth. The Vth didn't even react to the collapse of his authority in Ireland, never mind have any Imperial ambitions in that direction.

 

[Racsoviale]

Except their comedy apparently...

Well we have only one other nation that shares our type of humuor

 

[Verbose]

I was talking about the Eighth. The Vth didn't even react to the collapse of his authority in Ireland, never mind have any Imperial ambitions in that direction.

Well, if you harbour designs on the dominant European Behemoth, 20 million France, 1 million Ireland might not seem as important as all that.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Then there's still no comparison to Napoleon. Did France have any neighbors it didn't attack under Napoleon?

 

[Lord Baal]

Then there's still no comparison to Napoleon. Did France have any neighbors it didn't attack under Napoleon?

Sardinia. Couldn't get there. Also Denmark, but that was more due to Denmark's bad luck in having the British see them as a threat.

 

[Verbose]

Then there's still no comparison to Napoleon. Did France have any neighbors it didn't attack under Napoleon?

Generally I'd agree there's nothing in British history actually comparable to Napoleon. Other nations struggle in the same category however. No perfect analogies and all that.

 

[Lord Baal]

Generally I'd agree there's nothing in British history actually comparable to Napoleon. Other nations struggle in the same category however. No perfect analogies and all that.

Tamerlane for Uzbekistan, Hitler for Germany, Alexander for Macedon, etc.. Plenty of countries have comparable conquerors.

 

[Verbose]

Tamerlane for Uzbekistan, Hitler for Germany, Alexander for Macedon, etc.. Plenty of countries have comparable conquerors.

You're limiting it to "size of conquest" then? Conditions otherwise don't look particularly comparable to me.