Some help

Dominix

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I have to write an essay for History and the topic is: "Did Napoleon defend or destroy the ideals of the French Revolution?" When I write my essay I have to pick one side and go all the way. Right now I can't seem to choose which argument to use so I was wondering if anybody can help me.
 
He restored monarchy in france and his army that represented liberalism was defeated by the conservatives. He damaged liberalism both in and out of france.
 
This is a pretty simplistic view, but Napoleon is the Anti-Washington. He took a revolution that could have resulted in great things and smashed it. Ruined it.

He was, at first, a hero to progressive Europeans.

I read a great story on this and Beethoven's 5th. I guess Beethoven was one of those that considered Napoleon a hero and was later crushed by his failure follow through on the principles of what most thought the Revolution should be.

I think his army only represented liberalism in the eyes of a hopeful public.....until its true nature became obvious.

How different might history be had Napoleon done what Washington did.....guide his nation toward strong democracy rather than grab all of the power for himself.
 
It depends "which" Napoleon you mean. The Napoleon of 1793-1798 upheld the best ideals of the Revolution, and became a hero to many peoples around Europe. (My university town in Hungary had a statue dedicated to him that the Russians demanded be removed to an obscure location on the side of a mountain, not visible from the city.) Poles fought passionately for Napoleon, from Italy to Spain to Russia to the last days of 1814. When Napoleon went into his Elban exile, the only loyal troops who escorted him to the waiting boat were his personal Polish guard.

However, Napoleon of 1799-1815 became a tyrant and an anathema to the Revolution. He destroyed it from within, and became exactly what he claimed to want to destroy in Europe. His megalomania weakened the anti-conservative political positions throughout Europe and pushed them into extremist underground movements (that would eventually culminate in the disasters of 1848).
 
Well actually I have to refer to Napoleon's whole career. It's obvious that he's done things to destroy and defend the revolutionary ideals but I was wondering if anybody here feels if any particular side is stronger than the other.
 
If you choose defend, you could make the arguement that his later actions only further highlighted the need for controls on one person's power. It could be said that he was the lesson that one pwerful man should not be trusted with the fate of a nation. (Germany didn't learn this)

I don't know, just a thought.
 
It's a litle hard to choose indeed. But if I were you, I would go for the first option. One can say that he took the power to himself, establishing a new coort, where the highest figures wore silk socks and had the same vices and flaws that the nobles of the Old Regime had. In that sense, yes, he betrayed the Revolution, to which he owes his rising.
However, one has to look to other aspects. With him as Emperor, France was quite different than it was in 13th July 1789. And I'm referring to the organization of the state, and the reforms that he took. The Civil Code, for example, was introduced during Napoleon's consulate. The establishment of the Bank of France is another important thing. This may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité", but it is is a mark in terms of the definition of what was now the national property. Offcourse that in the other side we have a progressive diminishing of the personal freedom and various civil rights were not respected. (At least it was still better than in the phase of the Terror a few years before).

Well, I agree that this is not enough to justify my choice. By the contrary. But, let's focus on his campaigns. They were terrible for Europe, and at the time were the most bloody ever. However, it was these campaigns that spread the ideals of the revolution throughout Europe. The main vehicle was not Napoleon himself neither his generals, but rather the common soldier and the low rank officers. VoodooAce mentioned the example of Beethoven, to show how the opinions about Napoleon evolved: from the champion of the Peoples that was breaking the chains of servitude, to the later tyrant against whom the entire Europe fought. But, the fact remains, that wherever the french army went, the original ideals of the Revolution were spread and assimilated by the population. What were those ideals? The ideals of Liberty and the right of the Peoples to dispose of themselves. The spreading of these ideals was exactly the reason why, in the 1820s and 30s, liberal revolutions happened everywhere in Europe.

So, Did Napoleon defend or destroy the ideals of the French Revolution? Well, like I said, this a tough one. But, "Was Napoleon responsible, or were his campaigns responsible for the spreading of the ideals of the French Revolution? Absolutely.
The French Revolution is an event of the most importance in the History. It is the event that begins the Contemporary Age and the modern world. So, to conclude: if it wasn't for Napoleon, the world of today would be completely different. And the world of today was very much built on top of the French Revolution.
 
Thx guys for the input. I wrote my essay defending Napoleon as it seems the better of the two options.
 
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