Ap Euro Dbq On Napoleon Bonaparte

Victory, according to Napoleon Bonaparte, “means not always winning the battle…but rising every time you fall”. This is only one among many famous quotes. Every person can identify with this saying because failure is a part of life, yet Napoleon believed and encouraged people to keep on trying until they succeeded. Napoleon was a very experienced military leader and eventually became the leader of France after overthrowing the revolutionary government and taking power for himself. He successfully conquered much of Europe during the Napoleonic wars while keeping France stable after the long period of chaos due to the French Revolution. Napoleon was more of an imperial dictator than a democratic reformer because he conquered a lot of territory,

One of Napoleon’s most impressive feats was conquering a good portion of Europe, including Spain, a lot of Italy, much of Germany, Egypt, Belgium, Holland, Austria, and Poland. He managed to do this while fighting against a lot of these countries, including England and Russia, two very powerful countries. “I fought successfully against the enemies of my country. What is most extraordinary, though, and I believe unmatched in history, is that I rose from being an average soldier to the astonishing height of power I possessed” (Document 12). This quotation, which Napoleon wrote in 1817 while being exiled on St. Helena illustrates how he amassed all the power he currently held. Without his successful military conquests, Napoleon would not have gained the authority and influence he did. Most dictators gain their power by appearing to the people as a salvation, a last hope. Another example of this is Hitler, who was influenced by Napoleon. After World War I, Germany was going through economic instability, mass unemployment, political unrest, and many other crises. Hitler gained power and influence by convincing the people that he was the last hope for Germany. France faced similar circumstances, with instability caused by the French Revolution. Napoleon was already well respected since he fought off France’s enemies and came to power by offering to keep France safe. In

Napoleon went to extreme lengths to maintain his position of authority, including suppressing the French Revolution idea of representation from the people, spreading propaganda, creating a new government that was essentially controlled by him, and more. Document six depicts the coronation of Napoleon, where the Pope was supposed to crown Napoleon. However, Napoleon took the crown from the Pope and put it on his own head (Document 6). This document displays how Napoleon made sure everyone knew that he had all the power and that he was in control. By not letting the Pope crown him, he was telling everyone that he was on top of the church, that he was above the Pope, a very influential and important figure in Christianity and in Europe. Another example of Napoleon going to extreme lengths to show off his supremacy was in document three where he is depicted as riding a horse in the spotlight (Document 3). The picture portrays Napoleon after crossing the Alps and defeating the Austrian army. His composed demeanor while riding a wild, rearing horse shows how he is bringing control to a post Revolutionary France. In summary, Napoleon was more of an imperial dictator than a democratic reformer because he was hungry for