A French Military Leader Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who conquered the majority of Europe in the early 19th century. He really made a name for himself, and grew politically, dury the French Revolution in the late 1700s. After eventually gaining power in the government, he crowned himself emperor 1804. His reign as emperor was full of many successful battles and changes that would change the way of life in France forever. Napoleon Bonaparte is undoubtedly a hero because of giving France a new sense of nationalism, him being a military genius, and his many everlasting changes the society of France are all examples of why Napoleon Bonaparte is a revolutionary hero. After the French Revolution, the people of France were lost. Napoleon crowned himself emperor, and through his works, he gave the people the sense of national identity they needed. With this new sense of nationalism, France was given the new set of confidence they needed. He stepped in, and reassured the people that things were gonna be fine. He led them through many victorious battles, took what they said into consideration when it came to law making. He made sure the people had a voice, and he made the people feel safe. With the people’s nationalistic views of Frances, it put their trust into Napoleon’s hands. He was able to give the people hope and a positive outlook onto their county, which is apart of what makes him a hero. Napoleon cam also be seen as a hero due to his pure intelligence when it comes to the military. From a very young age, Napoleon’s military ability outranked most people years older than him. Just at 16, he earned a commission as a lieutenant. He then became captain in 1792, at the age of 23, then a Brigadier general at 25, and then given command of the French army in Italy at 27. He went on to make the country of France a force to be reckoned with. France has never been greater, or seen more victories than under Napoleon’s control. During his time, he fought in over 60 battles, and only lost 8, all mainly towards the end of his reign. As a military genius, and with so many victories, Napoleon was able to extend France’s territory tremendously. He successfully went to war against several countries, and became arguably one of the strongest and smartest military leaders of all time. His military ability is nothing short of legendary, and is one of the reasons he is a hero. Napoleon came to power in post-Revolutionary France, which means he was dealt with the task of making things better for the people. Even with the immense amount of pressure that put on him, Napoleon managed to completely turn it around within a year of coming to power. He implemented many progressive reforms that changed the way of life for the French people. He fired corrupt government officials, and made sure government officials were appointed by merit rather than because of their position in society. Arguably his biggest change to society was the Napoleonic Code, which was a group of unified laws that were enforced throughout France. The laws gave post-revolutionary France its first coherent set of laws concerning property, colonial affairs, the family, and individual rights. With the Napoleon Code, France had never been so efficiently governed. These set of laws are still used today in over 40 countries and on 5 continents. Napoleon also made sure that the people had rights, such as religious freedom and the right to education, which he did by opening a number of schools. He was a man who wanted the best life for his people, and went against past beliefs to make changes to ensure that would happen. Napoleon Bonaparte is a hero. He was able to give the people of France an identity after the revolution when they needed it most. He made a serious impact with his skill when it came to combat and battle. France’s society, and societies around the world, are forever changed to things he did. Through him giving the people of France a sense of hope after the revolution, being an intellect when it comes to military skill, and him changing France’s history forever, he is nothing short of a heroic man.

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