Was Napoleon A Hero?

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 11th grade September 2001

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Napoleon Bonaparte was a man with all the glory, never has history seen how only one man, who, brought up his country, France, from its most tormented status, to the very pinnacle of its height in just a few years time. He was a military hero who won many land-based battles, which allowed him to dominate most of the European continent. He was a man with ambition, great self-control and calculation, a great strategist, a genius; whatever it was, he was simply the best. But, even though how great this person was, something about how he governed France still floats among people's minds. Did Napoleon defeat the purpose of the ideals of the French Revolution? After all of his success in his military campaigns, did he gratify the people's needs regarding their ideals on the French Revolution? This is one of the many controversies that we have to deal with when studying Napoleon and the French Revolution.

In this essay, I will discuss how Napoleon actions and policies served to promote the ideals of the French Revolution.

        Individuals approved of Napoleon's reign as the savior of France. He finished and completed the Revolution by fulfilling the ideals the people of France demanded. A person such as one belonging to the bourgeoisie, or even a peasant would be very satisfied with the way Napoleon ruled over the country. He gave them equality, freedom, justice, and many rights. Such things never existed during the reign of the monarchs before Napoleon stepped in. A banker too would be very affirmative on how Napoleon had truly helped France in its economic problems. He made the franc the most stable currency in Europe, and the banker had witnessed that, as probably one of the bankers of the Bank of France. Another type of individual that agrees...