Seema Dass KI: 1326881 Napoleon 1

To what extent was Napoleon the ‘savior’ or the ‘destroyer’ of the French Revolution?

Introduction

Napoleon Bonaparte was the French military leader and the great emperor who had

conquered the majority of Europe in the early 19th century. During the French revolution he

allied himself with the radicalists the Jacobins and had achieved the position as the military

commander at the siege of Toulon in 1793. Through his leadership he had eradicated the British

from the port. This had enabled Napoleon to be recognized for his military leadership and move

higher in the ranks of the army and gain higher recognitioni.

Napoleon was considered one of the world's greatest military leaders. Carlo his father

who was a lawyer had first supported the nationalists siding with their leader Pasqual paoli

however after the flee he had supported the French this had lead to Napoleon father to be

appointed as the assessor of the judicial district of Ajaccio in 1771 that had enabled him to

enroll his sons in one of the most prestigious colleges in France college d’autun. After his years

in college he had enrolled in a military college of Brienne and studies there during this time his

father had passed away due to stomach cancer. Napoleon had returned to Corsicana in 1786

post-graduationii. In this paper, I will discuss my opinion regarding "Napoleon was a Savior or

Destroyer of the French Revolution"

Discussion

A large number of people approve of the opinion that the reign of Napoleon was the

Savior of French Nation and the State. He brought about and completed the revolution with the

fulfillment of the ideals demanded by French People.

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Napoleon's rise to power had begun when he returned to France to join the military, his

support for the Jacobins who had been another radicalist group in France who had supported the

far-left political movement and had been a popular group in France at that current time. In 1973

Napoleon had been promoted to Brigadier – General in December and shortly after his

achievements at the siege of Toulon, he was named inspector of the coast based on Nice which

had been located in the south of France.iii

Napoleon was seen as a man of great ambition and strength he had prospered and many

had seen him as a great inspiration of their time. However, did Napoleon abuse the power and

defeat the purpose of the very purpose of the French revolution. Many believe that Napoleon

had given them justice and had provided freedom and equality by concentrating on a strong

central government and focusing on bringing the ideas of the French revolution into effect. He

strongly focused on the equality and freedom of the poor also the freedom of religion was

respected and protected by Napoleon; nevertheless, the freedom of speech had been

compromised. The opportunity to achieve a career had become more widely available to people

who had talent and serfdom was abolished. Although Napoleon had made any changes during

the revolution he did little to promote the rights of women and children's rights had also been

restricted which could show Napoleon to be a misogynistic character .also private property and

the government had been segregated from the interference of religion.

The battle of waterloo which had taken place in Belgium had marked the defeat of

Napoleon who had conquered most of Europe. The invasion of Russia in 1812 had led to his

demise and exile in 1814.in 1815 he had returned to France. However; the battle of waterloo had

signified the end of France’s domination over Europe, shortly after Napoleon had died in exile.

Napoleon had combined the different classes and helped bring about equality amongst the
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different social groups in society. He had also strengthened France politically as he increased

Frances popularity. He had built and repaired roads, canals and bridges and did not restore

ancient feudal rights.

Napoleon had made many changes to the economy as the economy had desperately

needed to reform. The value of money under the late Louis XVI had depreciated to such a degree

that people had used wheelbarrows full of franks to buy a loaf of bread. The situation had

become worse when the franc had been replaced with the assonates. This had caused inflation

and caused masses of debt. Civil servants and the military had been unpaid for a while and the

people of France were starving. Something had to be done in order to resolve the economic

regression. Napoleon had created two bodies the ministry of fiancé and the treasury. The franc

had been reintroduced and people had restored faith in the government. People had now had

‘reliable money’. He had also created a national lottery which had drawn in 9 million and had

taken out loans from bankers and investors. This was later followed by fixing the tax system

which had been aided by martin-Michel-Charles Gaudin, François and barbe-marbois. However,

they had kept a large amount for themselves. iv

Maybe, one of the most significant and the enduring contribution made by Napoleon was

the civil Code. He provided the civil code to the people of France and this code is generally

known as "Napoleon Code". This code was written at the time when the discrimination was out

of control. At that time, Napoleon decided to provide liberty, Fraternity and Equality to

Protestants, Jews and people from other religions as well. Napoleon opened churches as well;

those churches were closed for so many years. v

Now come to the discussion of his contribution to the promotion of freedom of religion.
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Napoleon never practiced religion very deeply. This was very obvious through his behavior.

Once during his coronation as the French Emperor, when Pope Pius VII was presenting the

crown, him he took the crown and wore it on his own head. This behavior showed that religion

meant nothing to do with Coronation of Napoleon. He showed through his behavior that his

coronation of French people's choice. However, there was a contradiction to this behavior, when

he promoted freedom of religion for French people. When we dig a little bit just to know the

reason of the freedom of religion, we can see that in actual Napoleon not only thought of himself

while making such laws. He wanted happy Frenchmen together with Jews and people belonging

to other race and religions. In April 1802, Churches in France were reopened right after when he

signed the concordat and the whole population was cheerful in this renewal of Sunday Services.

Napoleon did not only promoted fraternity, equality and freedom for France only but everybody.

He supported Jews because his primary desire was to liberate them and give them equal

citizenship. He desired to grant Jews all their legal rights of liberty, fraternity and equality

similar to all the Protestants and Catholics. It was his wish that all the people should be given

equal treatment as if they were all connected to Judaism. He considered this step as an additional

benefit as it would bring several riches to France because Jews were numerous and they would

shift to France in large numbers where they would be able to enjoy all the privileges of an

independent nation. vi

His ideas proved that without any doubt, he actually wanted to promote equality,

fraternity and freedom. The Napoleonic Code is the most significant and astounding

achievement accomplished by Napoleon. Through this code he strengthened and promoted the

Revolution's ideals. He pushed for uniform set of laws for everyone just to determine the
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uniformity throughout France for making a Modern and strong nation. He clarified it with simple

logic that could be easily comprehended by everyone. vii

This code of law was equally applied to the Citizens of France devoid of their societal

status or position. Under this law, all citizens were equal in not only legally but in taxation as

well. Everybody was liable to pay an exact amount of tax. In his era, this was one more example

of prevailing equality between the French People. viii

On the other hand, there is always contradiction related to his promotion of Equality

between every person. Critics might ask if he actually practiced equality completely during his

reign. They may also add that what were the things left behind that he ignored related to equality.

A great majority of people would say he ignored women's right. He did not protect their rights.

Whereas, during his reign, it was a prevailing concept that women should be given protection.

One of the ways of providing them protection was not to give them a lot of duties and

responsibilities. The involvement of government entailed a great deal of responsibilities. This is

the reason, why all the women were not kept involved. According to the society, women are

made as homemakers and thus they should be given shelter from all the problems and dangers

which they might come across if they had to go out and earn bread. When we dig a little more,

we come to know that it was not the case that he did not think about women, but he cared about

their rights and protectionix.

One more question raised by critics is related to Fraternity. By fraternity we mean

brotherhood among common men. When fraternity prevails, everyone works for a common

good. Everyone helps each other for their good of a majority. In case of Napoleon, Fraternity

was well prevailing in the society during his reign, particularly in His grand Army. It was in
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general good of France. He united all his soldiers to make the defense of France stronger and

bring magnificence and glory to their country. x

He made a common man a Soldier. Their Soldiers weren't only from the army of

Napoleon. They were lawyers, businessmen, merchants and rest of all. During his reign, no one

was compelled to join army. One of the article of Napoleon code states that everyone was given

freedom of choice to make decision of their work. Despite of this article, people were involved in

Grand army of Napoleon. The reason for this enthusiasm was that they were faithful to their

oath. They were honest and loyal to their country and eagles. On the basis of such enthusiasm we

can sate that fraternity or brotherhood was prevailing strongly among people of France during his

reign. It was the love of a common countryman for his/her country. Such fraternity was a major

element which made France a unified and stronger State. The brotherhood of the French People

united them as a stronger nation. During his reign, people never revolt. Everyone was always

ready to help each other. All this things happened when he sat on the throne. xi

Conclusion

On the basis of the above discussion, I have drawn a conclusion that Napoleon was an

ambitious and brilliant leader, who provided directions to the destinies of Europe and France for

fifteen years. He emerged a national hero. He did not only do good but also altered the course of

French History. He was the only man after Jesus Christ, Alexander the Great and Caesar, who

has been the subject of a great number of biographies. He has been a successful and respected

person in the history and no one has matched his level as yet. He provided equality and freedom

to every common man>. During his reign, his nation enjoyed freedom and equal privileges. He

gave equality in taxation to people of France. Fraternity prevailed in full swing and he held
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everyone equal in the eyes of law.

His reign completed the French revolution with the practice of ideals and administrative

structures. His reign was equal to a meteor which gave a brief light to the night sky of the history

of France. Hence, he is without a doubt a savior of French Revolution.

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Bibliography

Adriana Craciun and Kari Lokke, Rebellious Hearts: British Women Writers and the

French Revolution, (SUNY Press, 2001), pp. 161-165

This book discovers a great number of British Women writing in the era if Romantic

Period. Women who realize now days were not marginal but central to the ideologies and poetics

of Romanticism. This is the first book that has represented and focused British women’s

responses to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, or on their participation in the

social, economic, religious, and poetic debates surrounding these political conflicts. This is the

foremost book which represented the complete spectrum of participation of women in

Revolutionary debates; Rebellious Hearts uncovers a rich new field of literary and historical

scholarship.

Andrew Baruch Wachtel and Ilya Vinitsky, Russian Literature,( John Wiley & Sons, May-

2013), pp.10-15

This book consists of small number of writers who were the masters of 19th century

including Turgenev, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. In addition it includes the few well known piece of

works from 20th century Doctor Zhivago and Margarita together with Brodsky's poems and

Chekhov's plays. Furthermore, those writers who have made an impact are generally known

outside of the contexts in which they wrote and in which their work has been received.

Cecil Jenkins, A Brief History of France, (Running Press Book Publishers, 2011)

This book contains a Brief History of France which narrates the story of the development

of this grand nation through great events, culture and its people. When we talk about France we
Seema Dass KI: 1326881 Napoleon 9

think and evoke the image of Fine foods elegant boulevards and wine of Paris, but the country

has a great history for tourists.

D. Jordan, Napoleon and the Revolution, (Springer, 2012)

This book includes the study of Napoleon which emphasize on his contribution to French

revolution together with his personification of its armed force and his protection of the legacies.

The work of Jordan is the illumination of every aspect of his fabulous reign. In addition the

book includes his views of the history and Revolution, the artists who created and embellished

his image, and much of his talk about himself and his achievements.

Francois Furet, The French Revolution: 1770-1814, (Wiley, 1996).

This volume, comprising Part I of the author's classic work Revolutionary France 1770-

1880, offers a vivid narrative and radical reinterpretation of the years surrounding the

momentous events of 1789 and their aftermath. During this period there were not one, but two

revolutions: by intent the first was egalitarian, the second- Bonapartes authoritarian. The tension

between the two characterized the period and was to shape the Republic that eventually emerged

from the ruins of the ancient regime.

Harry V. Jaffa, Crisis of the Strauss Divided: Essays on Leo Strauss and Straussianism, East

and West, (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 26-Aug-2012), pp 14-20

Crisis of the Strauss Divided brings together a collection of Jaffa’s published arguments

defending and explaining that judgment, written during the 40 years since Strauss’s death. The

volume includes arguments of those who have disagreed with Jaffa about Strauss's teaching and
Seema Dass KI: 1326881 Napoleon 10

about the nature of political philosophy. These wide ranging exchanges explore many of the

great themes of political philosophy and, in particular, the implications of Strauss are thinking

for America and modern civilization.

Robert D. Murphy, Napoleon Bonaparte, Savior Or Destroyer of the French Revolution?,

(California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2002), pp 45-47.

This book explains the contribution of Napoleon in the French Revolution and the

foundation of calling him a Savior or a destroyer of French Revolution.

i
Robert D. Murphy, Napoleon Bonaparte, Savior Or Destroyer of the French Revolution?, (California State University, Dominguez

Hills, 2002), pp 45-47.

ii Harry V. Jaffa, Crisis of the Strauss Divided: Essays on Leo Strauss and Straussianism, East and West, (Rowman & Littlefield

Publishers, 26-Aug-2012), pp 14

iii Harry V. Jaffa, pp 16-20

iv
Adriana Craciun and Kari Lokke, Rebellious Hearts: British Women Writers and the French Revolution, (SUNY Press, 2001), pp.
161-165
v
D. Jordan, Napoleon and the Revolution, (Springer, 2012), pp12-15

vi
Cecil Jenkins, A Brief History of France, (Running Press Book Publishers, 2011), pp12

vii Andrew Baruch Wachtel and Ilya Vinitsky, Russian Literature,( John Wiley & Sons, May-2013), pp.10-15
viii Cecil Jenkins,, pp15

ix Francois Furet, The French Revolution: 1770-1814, (Wiley, 1996), pp 3.

x
Francois Furet, pp 4.

xi D. Jordan, 15