Sir Parnell Stevenson

HIS 510

Professor Trenam

May 25, 2022

Napoleon I and George Washington: A comparison of the two leaders

Introduction

Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution featured a leader who has

played a significant role throughout history. They both have a lot in common with each

other in that they both wanted to ensure that their respective countries were better than

what they found it. They also played a role in how the revolutions played out. Both men

were of the Enlightenment era, and both had undying loyalty to their respective countries,

but they had a lot of differences. They both had ambitions politically, both were leaders and

they had differences in terms of political philosophy. Both men were in favor of the

representative government, but one ended up transitioning into absolutism. The two men I

am doing a comparison of are Napoleon I and George Washington.

Both men were military officers who came from lower aristocratic families. George

Washington spent time in the British Army under the command of Edward Braddock during

the Seven Year’s War between Great Britain and France from 1754 to 1763, so he has first-

hand knowledge of how the British Army operated and was able to expose their

weaknesses. On the other side, Napoleon was a career military officer who was trained in

the military throughout his time and was able to use his military talents to his advantage. 1
1
Flynn, Matthew. Washington and Napoleon: Leadership and the Age of Revolution. Potamac Books (2012) p. xi

1
Both men had humble beginnings, Washington through his connections to the Fairfax

family, in which his brother Lawrence married into, which helped George establish himself

as a gentleman farmer and without military experience and through his connections, he was

able to obtain the rank of major in the Virginia state militia at the age of twenty-one.

Napoleon was the opposite of Washington, in which he wanted and expected things to

come to him, despite his social standing. 2 Both men had something in common regarding

their military experiences. They both saw the military advance in social circles, and their

choices were rewarded in multiple ways.

What I am going to argue in this paper is that in terms of leadership styles, both

George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte have their differences, and they also have

things in common with each other as well as how they both saw their respective revolutions

to get rid of the monarchy.

Historiography

In his book, the Long Farewell, George Kahler breaks down how different groups saw

George Washington after his death in 1799 and how he impacted the United States as a

whole. Many groups were linked to Washington and Kahler uses some of the virtues that he

exults to show how much the citizens loved him, including families being taught how to be

like him.3 His uses of funeral materials give the reader an understanding of the political and

social issues of the day. Washington was a man of the people, performed different tasks

2
Longmore, Paul K. The Invention of George Washington. University of Virginia Press 1999 p. 7
3
Kahler, Gerald E. The Long Farewell: Americans Mourn the Death of George Washington. Charlottesville:
University of Virginia Press. 2008

2
such as farming, to serving in the British Army, to being the commander in chief of the

American army, to being the first President of the United States, in which he set the

standard of serving two terms in office. On the opposite side, in his book the Invention of

George Washington, Paul K. Longmore breaks down Washington by focusing on his career

as a farmer and a legislator. In his book, Longmore describes Washington as a man of

reputation, in which he isn’t shaped by just the views of others but his own ideas. He uses

Washington’s career to show how hard he was able to support his reputation as a

gentleman and received accolades from those who had supported him throughout his

military career.4

When it comes to the historiography of Napoleon, some historians supported him

and some did not support him. Historians such as Eric Hobsbawm in his book The Age of

Revolutions have argued that Napoleon’s legacy was to reverse the ideas of the French

Revolution and make them to be more conservative, authoritarian, and hierarchial. 5

Hobsbawm’s view was in complete contrast to William Doyle, who in his book France and

the Age of Regimes Old and New from Louis XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte sees him as the

“Revolution Incarnate” through his humbling of the Ancien Regimes as the opening to a

new world during the Napoleonic Wars.6 His actions have been a source of debate on

whether Napoleon was a tyrant or if he was a natural born leader who had bigger

aspirations, such as being an emperor.

4
Doyle, William. France and the Age of Regimes Old and New from Louis XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte IB Tauris
(2013) p. 50
5
Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Revolutions. Vintage Books (1996) p. 60
6
Doyle p. 60

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 Beginning with George Washington, the following resources were used for my

research paper:

Longmore, Paul K. The Invention of George Washington. University of Virginia Press 1999

This book talks about George Washington’s rise from being the gentleman farmer

and when British interests had threatened his way of life, he gravitated towards becoming a

revolutionary. When he became President of the United States, he defends civilian control

and other freedoms because his image depended on the success of others. Longmore was a

historian who was also a disability activist who specialized in Early American history.

Schwartz, Barry. George Washington and the Whig Conception of Heroic Leadership.

American Sociological Review pp. 18-33 (1983)

This article talks about Washington’s Leadership abilities throughout the military as

well as him setting the standard as the first President of the United States.

Kahler, Gerald E. The Long Farewell: Americans Mourn the Death of George Washington.

Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. 2008

The death of George Washington in 1799 had stunned the nation. It also played a

role in how different groups took political advantages to advance their own ideas as well as

inspiring others to be like George Washington. Gerald Kahler is an independent scholar who

specializes in Early American History.

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Dwyer, Philip G. The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Sourcebook. Routledge Press New

York 2002

The French Revolution and Napoleonic period became one of the defining moments

in history and has impacted the political landscape today. This text also explains what

happened during the French Revolution and how it led to the rise of Napoleon as an

autocrat as well as making France a military power during the Napoleonic Wars. Philip

Dwyer is a historian who specializes on Napoleon I and the French Empire.

Liebeskind, Claudia. Napoleonic Foot Soldiers and Civilians. Bedford/St. Martins, Boston,

2011

This text gives the author first-hand accounts of the Napoleonic Wars, specifically

through the Grande Armee through the wars in Russia and the Wars of the Sixth Coalition.

The text also gives the reader an insight into how civilians were involved in the Napoleonic

Wars through different avenues that most historians did not know about. Claudia

Liebeskind is a professor of history at Florida State University who specializes in French

history as well as South Asian history.

Flynn, Matthew and Griffin, Stephen. Washington and Napoleon: Leadership in the Age of

Revolution.

This book discusses the comparisons between George Washington and Napoleon

Bonaparte and their respective leadership styles, their common goals, and the political

differences that both men hold. The book also shows the contrasting styles of both

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Napoleon and Washington. Matthew Flynn is a historian who focuses on military history in

terms of military power and revolutionary war. Stephen Griffin is an historian who focuses

on 18th century Britain as well as an specialist on Napoleonic France.

Together, these sources help the reader gain insight into both Napoleon and George

Washington and their impact in both the United States and France respectively. Individually,

the sources help historians explain who they are and what they have accomplished

individually. Washington was considered to be a poor general at first and eventually

became one of the best commanders throughout the army to where he was named in 1976

one of the “Generals of the Armies” of the United States. 7 Napoleon was a skilled warrior

who won a majority of the battles he was involved in during the Napoleonic Wars as well as

being an efficient administrator of countries that he had conquered over time.

Comparative History

The comparisons between Napoleon and George Washington are that although they

both have the intention to transfer power to the people, they did not share the same

qualities in terms of transferring power. Washington chose the republican path; Napoleon

became an autocrat with absolute power. They also had some of the same leadership styles

and some that they did not have in common with the others. There are a couple of

paintings created by two of the most prolific painters in Gilbert Stuart, who is responsible

for the painting “The Lansdowne Portrait” of George Washington, which he is depicted as a

7
US Congress. Orders 31-3: Posthumous Promotion of Gen. George Washington. Joint Resolution of Congress. July
4, 1976.

6
working president who has been writing a proposal or a report (or may be working on his

most famous “Farewell Address” at the end of 1796). 8 The painting of Napoleon by David

shows that he is working on the Code Napoleon and also shows him with his right hand

inside of his jacket as well as wearing a French Grenadiers uniform. David’s painting shows

the militarism and imperialism aspects of his ambitions. 9

Conclusion

I believe both George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte are good leaders even

though they have different ideas on how to inspire people. Both leaders have played a role

in modern history, and both have been recognized for their contributions throughout their

respective countries.

Bibliography

 David, Jacques-Louis. “The Emperor Napoleon in His Study At The Tuileries .”

National Gallery of Art, 1812. https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/david-the-

emperor-napoleon-in-his-study-at-the-tuileries.html.

 Stuart, Gilbert. “Conservation of the Lansdowne Portrait.” National Portrait Gallery,

September 28, 2017. https://npg.si.edu/blog/conserving-lansdowne-portrait.

8
Stuart, Gilbert. “Conservation of the Lansdowne Portrait.” National Portrait Gallery, September 28, 2017.
https://npg.si.edu/blog/conserving-lansdowne-portrait.
9
David, Jacques-Louis. “The Emperor Napoleon in His Study At The Tuileries .” National Gallery of Art, 1812.
https://www.nga.govi/collection/highlights/david-the-emperor-napoleon-in-his-study-at-the-tuileries.html.

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 US Congress. Orders 31-3: Posthumous Promotion of Gen. George Washington. Joint

Resolution of Congress. July 4, 1976.

 Liebeskind, Claudia. Napoleonic Foot Soldiers and Civilians. Bedford/St. Martins,

Boston, 2011

 Kahler, Gerald E. The Long Farewell: Americans Mourn the Death of George

Washington. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. 2008

 Dwyer, Philip G. The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Sourcebook. Routledge

Press New York 2002

 Schwartz, Barry. George Washington and the Whig Conception of Heroic Leadership.

American Sociological Review pp. 18-33 (1983)

 Longmore, Paul K. The Invention of George Washington. University of Virginia Press

1999

 Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Revolutions. Vintage Books (1996) p. 60

 Flynn, Matthew. Washington and Napoleon: Leadership and the Age of Revolution.

Potamac Books (2012) p. xi