This blog will be used throughout the quarter for primary document analysis, reflection, and classroom discussions. Remember that your posts can be viewed by anyone with access to the Internet. Please maintain proper decorum and civil discourse.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Debate #2 Reflection
Do you believe Napoleon was a hero or a tyrant? Be sure to support your opinion with evidence from our studies and the debate.
Napoleon was a hero this is because of his bringing of stability to France during the time of the revolution. The revolution was killing many people and then Napoleon stopped this from continuing. Also for the first time he created equality and liberty. He taxed them based on their jobs and their jobs were based off their skills. This is what the French people were fighting for in the first place. He also through conquering spread these ideas of equality and it would eventually be the basis for all of Europe. Napoleon was a hero for the people, and would make history for all of Europe better.
In relation to whether napoleon is a tyrant or a hero i believe he is a tyrant. Napoleon was a tyrant because he terrorized his people. Also because he said he was granting equality while giving them no say in political decisions.Napoleon gained power through conquest and maintained it through having his family Napoleon cannot be considered a hero for avoiding bankruptcy because he agreed to the Louisiana purchase which eventually lead to the economic downfall of France itself. Napoleon killed/ jailed anyone who went against his whims and will always be remembered as a power hungry tyrant who wanted power.
I believe that Napoleon is a tyrant because he use his military powers against people just so he could gain total control over everybody so they wouldn't revolt against him. Also they fact that he just put the Revolutionary Ideas aside and came up with his own was very tyrannical for a person to do with the laws that were already created. In addition the Louisiana purchase put them into harmful situations because it only benefited Napoleon as becoming and overall ruler rather than letting the people having a say towards government choices.
I would argue that Napoleon is a tyrant. First, in making himself the emperor, he went back on all of the things that the French Revolution fought for. Although you can argue that the establishment of the Napoleonic Code ensured equity to all, Napoleon did not "practice what he preached" when he put family members on the throne of Spain and Italy. Additionally, even though you can argue he was a really good military leader, he did not act like one when he fled and deserted his troops in Egypt and Russia, a truly cowardly action. Overall, Napoleon used military foce to secure his position as dictator and that is the definition of a true tyrant.
I believe Napoleon was a tyrant because of the way he ruled and how he set out to gain power. Although France did gain power during his rule napoleon pushed France into even more bankruptcy and killed countless people though the wars he put France thought. He would jail or kill anyone who spoke against him in order to keep his power. Napoleon also put his family members into power whenever he concurred a country so that the ruler would never rise up against him. The way he sought out to “unify mainland Europe” could be seen as a ruler trying to become a dictator of all of Europe.
Short term I believe that Napoleon was a hero because he brought much wanted stability and control. After the chaos of the French Revolution, many wanted a return to a monarchy therefore Napoleon, to them, was a blessing. So at the time, for the French people, Napoleon was indeed a hero because he brought reform, such as the ideas of liberty and equality, and he brought stability through an efficient problem-solving government. Despite his short term successes, in the long run Napoleon was a tyrant because although he promoted equality, he handed out promotions only within his family or social circle, and his use of censorship and weaponry actually hurt the people he was supposed to be protecting. Therefore although he was a short term hero, in the long run he was a tyrant because of his cowardliness, when deserting his soldiers in Egypt and Russia, his dictatorial use of censorship and weaponry to keep the people under complete control, and his opportunistic stronghold on the French people's needs.
I feel that Napoleon was a hero and not a tyrant. Although he was responsible for the deaths of many innocent civilians, he also instilled great and seemingly unheard of ideals with the Napoleonic code. The Napoleonic code gave equality and liberty to all and is the basis for many modern law codes. Napoleon saved the nation by ending the French Revolution/ civil war and he also conquered other nations to eliminate threats to his nation. He was an autocrat, but everyone else was an autocrat at the time. Finally, Napoleon strengthened France and set it on a path for success.
I believe that Napoleon was both a hero and tyrant. He was heroic in that he brought the French people out of economic and political chaos. After years of bloody executions and fragile pseudo-governments, Napoleon effectively took control and brought in a new era of stability and prosperity. Enacting reforms and laws, such as the Napoleonic Code, Napoleon moved in a positive direction for the people and pursued liberty, equality, and the rights of man: the main pursuits of the original French Revolution. All the French claimed him as a national hero and could be argued to be one of the best military commanders the world has ever known. With that said, Napoleon was also opportunistic and power-hungry, willing to do anything and everything to maintain his power. If he perceived a threat to his power, the offending subject was quickly executed, such as the Duke of Enghien His conquest of Europe was brutal and only increased his power- Napoleon placed his relatives in power over conquered countries and he upheld his law with crushing, dictatorial force. While creating a sense of nationalism, Napoleon's continent-spanning wars drained French coffers and sent the country hurtling back towards bankruptcy. In the end, Napoleon's unsaitiable lust for power dragged France down with him and although he brought stability and reform to a shattered France (making him a hero), his boundless ambition and willingness to do whatever it takes to gain and maintain his power ultimately make him a tyrant as well.
Napoleon was a tyrant. He fled from battle and silenced his enemies, including a well-respected Duke. He imprisoned the Pope and tried to take complete control over Roman Catholicism. Dictators have used many of his propaganda tactics and military police in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He established a civil code, which created a system based on merit, yet put many members of his family in power. This is quite Machiavellian, because he really did not follow this system. Overall, Napoleon did not follow through with his promises, and thus is a tyrant.
I believe that Napoleon was a tyrant, not a hero. While Napoleon did bring some good to France it was not enough to characterize him as a hero when comparing it to the tactics he used to maintain power in France and throughout Europe. Napoleon was the first modern dictator, in my opinion, because he used censorship and imprisonment/death as a response to negative opinion about his rule. Examples include when he jailed the Pope and killed the Duke. In order to keep power over his conquests throughout Europe he put his family in power such as his brother in Spain and his brother in law in Italy. While he promoted liberty and equality, his citizens had no say in the government, they had no representation. He also was not even totally a hero on the battlefield because in Africa and Russia he abandoned his fellow Frenchmen in battle when he realized things weren't going too well. Overall, Napoleon was not a hero because he used censorship and imprisonment/death to maintain his power.
Through the debate, I believe that Napoleon was a hero. The amount of things that he accomplished in the short 15 years that he was in power is incredible. His military successes simply cannot be denied. His goal to bring Europe together under one power was nearly complete. At one point, he was the most powerful man in all of Europe. The economic stability that he brought to France was admirable. The effect that the Napoleonic Codes had throughout Europe was amazing. It offered new ideals of liberty and equality regardless of race or class. It also said that success could come from hard work, not status. Finally, he brought stability and glory to France. He exported new principles to parts of Europe, feudalism was abolished, and the Napoleonic codes were created. In conclusion, Napoleon should be regarded as a hero.
Even though Napoleon contributed to world government through his Napoleonic Codes, overall he proved much more of a tyrant in his rule and actions than a hero. The stability that he established following the French Revolution was not one of contentment and tranquility, but came about because of Napoleon's extremely harsh policies of jailing or executing any who opposed him or were suspected of opposing him, including the Duke of Enghien, and those who were opposing Napoleon were brutally crushed by the French army and also through censorship. In Europe as well, Napoleon's conquests proved equally as brutal. Any good elements of the Code did not apply to the conquered nations, and the people who were in charge of the newly conquered people were Napoleon's relatives, including his brother in Spain and his brother-in-law in Italy, who were less than good rulers. Even though he was largely successful in military campaigns, at the times of most dire need during battles in Egypt and Russia he fled in selfish self-preservation and abandoned his troops. Through his terror and oppression as well as military ruin, Napoleon ultimately proved an oppressive tyrant who was far more self seeking than with the good of the French people in mind.
Napoleon was a pretty decent guy for his time. In the time of Napoleon, pretty much every ruler was some sort of autocrat. Thus, Napoleon's autocratic ways were justified as the only working system he knew of. Though one can look at the short term effects of death and jailing, such is not what Napoleon should remembered for. Rather, Napoleon should be remembered as the guy that presented radical, republican ideas in the form of the Napoleonic Code. These ideas included equality for everyone, and provided the basis for modern movements such as those in Japan.
Napoleon was a hero this is because of his bringing of stability to France during the time of the revolution. The revolution was killing many people and then Napoleon stopped this from continuing. Also for the first time he created equality and liberty. He taxed them based on their jobs and their jobs were based off their skills. This is what the French people were fighting for in the first place. He also through conquering spread these ideas of equality and it would eventually be the basis for all of Europe. Napoleon was a hero for the people, and would make history for all of Europe better.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to whether napoleon is a tyrant or a hero i believe he is a tyrant. Napoleon was a tyrant because he terrorized his people. Also because he said he was granting equality while giving them no say in political decisions.Napoleon gained power through conquest and maintained it through having his family Napoleon cannot be considered a hero for avoiding bankruptcy because he agreed to the Louisiana purchase which eventually lead to the economic downfall of France itself. Napoleon killed/ jailed anyone who went against his whims and will always be remembered as a power hungry tyrant who wanted power.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Napoleon is a tyrant because he use his military powers against people just so he could gain total control over everybody so they wouldn't revolt against him. Also they fact that he just put the Revolutionary Ideas aside and came up with his own was very tyrannical for a person to do with the laws that were already created. In addition the Louisiana purchase put them into harmful situations because it only benefited Napoleon as becoming and overall ruler rather than letting the people having a say towards government choices.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that Napoleon is a tyrant. First, in making himself the emperor, he went back on all of the things that the French Revolution fought for. Although you can argue that the establishment of the Napoleonic Code ensured equity to all, Napoleon did not "practice what he preached" when he put family members on the throne of Spain and Italy. Additionally, even though you can argue he was a really good military leader, he did not act like one when he fled and deserted his troops in Egypt and Russia, a truly cowardly action. Overall, Napoleon used military foce to secure his position as dictator and that is the definition of a true tyrant.
ReplyDeleteI believe Napoleon was a tyrant because of the way he ruled and how he set out to gain power. Although France did gain power during his rule napoleon pushed France into even more bankruptcy and killed countless people though the wars he put France thought. He would jail or kill anyone who spoke against him in order to keep his power. Napoleon also put his family members into power whenever he concurred a country so that the ruler would never rise up against him. The way he sought out to “unify mainland Europe” could be seen as a ruler trying to become a dictator of all of Europe.
ReplyDeleteShort term I believe that Napoleon was a hero because he brought much wanted stability and control. After the chaos of the French Revolution, many wanted a return to a monarchy therefore Napoleon, to them, was a blessing. So at the time, for the French people, Napoleon was indeed a hero because he brought reform, such as the ideas of liberty and equality, and he brought stability through an efficient problem-solving government. Despite his short term successes, in the long run Napoleon was a tyrant because although he promoted equality, he handed out promotions only within his family or social circle, and his use of censorship and weaponry actually hurt the people he was supposed to be protecting. Therefore although he was a short term hero, in the long run he was a tyrant because of his cowardliness, when deserting his soldiers in Egypt and Russia, his dictatorial use of censorship and weaponry to keep the people under complete control, and his opportunistic stronghold on the French people's needs.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Napoleon was a hero and not a tyrant. Although he was responsible for the deaths of many innocent civilians, he also instilled great and seemingly unheard of ideals with the Napoleonic code. The Napoleonic code gave equality and liberty to all and is the basis for many modern law codes. Napoleon saved the nation by ending the French Revolution/ civil war and he also conquered other nations to eliminate threats to his nation. He was an autocrat, but everyone else was an autocrat at the time. Finally, Napoleon strengthened France and set it on a path for success.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Napoleon was both a hero and tyrant. He was heroic in that he brought the French people out of economic and political chaos. After years of bloody executions and fragile pseudo-governments, Napoleon effectively took control and brought in a new era of stability and prosperity. Enacting reforms and laws, such as the Napoleonic Code, Napoleon moved in a positive direction for the people and pursued liberty, equality, and the rights of man: the main pursuits of the original French Revolution. All the French claimed him as a national hero and could be argued to be one of the best military commanders the world has ever known. With that said, Napoleon was also opportunistic and power-hungry, willing to do anything and everything to maintain his power. If he perceived a threat to his power, the offending subject was quickly executed, such as the Duke of Enghien His conquest of Europe was brutal and only increased his power- Napoleon placed his relatives in power over conquered countries and he upheld his law with crushing, dictatorial force. While creating a sense of nationalism, Napoleon's continent-spanning wars drained French coffers and sent the country hurtling back towards bankruptcy. In the end, Napoleon's unsaitiable lust for power dragged France down with him and although he brought stability and reform to a shattered France (making him a hero), his boundless ambition and willingness to do whatever it takes to gain and maintain his power ultimately make him a tyrant as well.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon was a tyrant. He fled from battle and silenced his enemies, including a well-respected Duke. He imprisoned the Pope and tried to take complete control over Roman Catholicism. Dictators have used many of his propaganda tactics and military police in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He established a civil code, which created a system based on merit, yet put many members of his family in power. This is quite Machiavellian, because he really did not follow this system. Overall, Napoleon did not follow through with his promises, and thus is a tyrant.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Napoleon was a tyrant, not a hero. While Napoleon did bring some good to France it was not enough to characterize him as a hero when comparing it to the tactics he used to maintain power in France and throughout Europe. Napoleon was the first modern dictator, in my opinion, because he used censorship and imprisonment/death as a response to negative opinion about his rule. Examples include when he jailed the Pope and killed the Duke. In order to keep power over his conquests throughout Europe he put his family in power such as his brother in Spain and his brother in law in Italy. While he promoted liberty and equality, his citizens had no say in the government, they had no representation. He also was not even totally a hero on the battlefield because in Africa and Russia he abandoned his fellow Frenchmen in battle when he realized things weren't going too well. Overall, Napoleon was not a hero because he used censorship and imprisonment/death to maintain his power.
ReplyDeleteThrough the debate, I believe that Napoleon was a hero. The amount of things that he accomplished in the short 15 years that he was in power is incredible. His military successes simply cannot be denied. His goal to bring Europe together under one power was nearly complete. At one point, he was the most powerful man in all of Europe. The economic stability that he brought to France was admirable. The effect that the Napoleonic Codes had throughout Europe was amazing. It offered new ideals of liberty and equality regardless of race or class. It also said that success could come from hard work, not status. Finally, he brought stability and glory to France. He exported new principles to parts of Europe, feudalism was abolished, and the Napoleonic codes were created. In conclusion, Napoleon should be regarded as a hero.
ReplyDeleteEven though Napoleon contributed to world government through his Napoleonic Codes, overall he proved much more of a tyrant in his rule and actions than a hero. The stability that he established following the French Revolution was not one of contentment and tranquility, but came about because of Napoleon's extremely harsh policies of jailing or executing any who opposed him or were suspected of opposing him, including the Duke of Enghien, and those who were opposing Napoleon were brutally crushed by the French army and also through censorship. In Europe as well, Napoleon's conquests proved equally as brutal. Any good elements of the Code did not apply to the conquered nations, and the people who were in charge of the newly conquered people were Napoleon's relatives, including his brother in Spain and his brother-in-law in Italy, who were less than good rulers. Even though he was largely successful in military campaigns, at the times of most dire need during battles in Egypt and Russia he fled in selfish self-preservation and abandoned his troops. Through his terror and oppression as well as military ruin, Napoleon ultimately proved an oppressive tyrant who was far more self seeking than with the good of the French people in mind.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon was a pretty decent guy for his time. In the time of Napoleon, pretty much every ruler was some sort of autocrat. Thus, Napoleon's autocratic ways were justified as the only working system he knew of. Though one can look at the short term effects of death and jailing, such is not what Napoleon should remembered for. Rather, Napoleon should be remembered as the guy that presented radical, republican ideas in the form of the Napoleonic Code. These ideas included equality for everyone, and provided the basis for modern movements such as those in Japan.
ReplyDelete