Napoleon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Napoleon - Essay Example He rose to prominence under French First Republic during which time he led the France through a series of successive victories against the enemies of the French revolution. In 1799, he orchestrated a coup and he made himself the First Consul. In 1804, he made himself the emperor of the French people. Afterwards, he fought a series of complex wars across Europe which were both for and against him2. During these wars, Napoleon was able to make France a military superpower in continental Europe. Napoleon also forged several alliances in Europe that gave France a lot of influence all over continental Europe3. He elevated his friends and family members to become rulers over other European countries. Although napoleon died almost two centuries ago, many scholars are still fascinated by his personality. There are many questions regarding why Napoleon left Corsica and decided to become the emperor of France. There is also the question of his relentless pursuit of power even when he failed. Many people who met Napoleon could not find the right words to describe his character. Germaine de Stael described Napoleon’s character as contradictory. She described him as a person who was neither gentle nor cruel, neither good nor violent. She concludes that such a person could not feel any sympathy. However, there are other scholars who differ with Germaine like Stendhal who described Napoleon as a man who had amazing abilities and a dangerous ambition. Sigmund Freud attributed Napoleon’s aggression to the aggression he harbored against his elder brother Joseph at a younger age. Napoleon was said to be a dreamer when he was in school. It is therefore possible that his desire t o conquer all of Europe was derived from his desire of portraying himself as great leader4. Napoleon gained a reputation as an intelligent and a determined kid at school. This is in contrary to other leaders like Hitler who have