How Did Joseph Stalin Influence Modern Europe

Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, were indeed three of the most powerful leaders in the history who had left lots of impacts behind, either good or bad. These men were not only each triumphant in their time periods and in their countries, but also the people who have shaped the world today. Out of these three leaders, Napoleon had the greatest impact; more specifically, he has fundamentally influenced the modern Europe the most by establishing nationalism, realizing the importance of intellectual development, and by exercising his Code Napoleon. All of these actions were important because they took a step toward the modern democracy. On the other hand, the other two totalitarian leaders failed to fundamentally change Europe;

During the French Revolution, the revolutionaries developed a common identity among the French people with the national motto “Liberty, Fraternity, Equality.” Therefore, Napoleon saw nationalism as an indispensable tool to maintain the loyalty. During Napoleon’s ruling, many of the people, who were drafted into the army, actually were willing to serve because they identified the army with the nation (Hunt et al. 659). Moreover, Napoleon not only inspired almost the fanatical loyalty and support from the soldiers by fighting along side in some sixty battles, but also created the spirit of nationalism among the citizens by remarkable series of victories (Hunt et al. 660). On the other hand, Napoleon also spread the seeds of nationalism to his enemies and even the states that were not unified. As the German States were opposing Napoleon, they found out that they actually shared a lot common interests and identities (Butler). As a result, the spirit of nationalism grew and the seeds were planted until they all blossomed in the German unification. This was a step Napoleon took toward democracy because, to a certain degree, nationalism is a necessity for democracy since it provides trust and a sense of belonging to a human being to represent and participate in the social