Napoleon's Impact On European History

Napoleon. His name echoes across the world today, in reference to his conquests, skill, leadership, and his defeats, such as Waterloo. Coming from a small island off the coast of Italy, Napoleon was able to rise to the Emperor of France in the midst of revolution and war, and bring France to greatness, at one point ruling almost all of Europe through direct rule and puppet states. His capability not only in warfare but in governing sets him apart from many famous conquerors throughout history. His reign changed the structure of Europe for years to come, bringing about changes such as German and Italian unification, and spreading Enlightenment ideas across the continent. Yet when he was exiled to St. Helena, he left France in ruin. Although

Despite being a conqueror who did crush rebellions harshly, "at the end of the day, a number of historians...have commented on the Napoleonic Empire's role in being a first step toward European unification. "Napoleon therefore has left his impact on European history, as countries like Italy owe their origin to him. By spreading Enlightenment ideas, he was able to change countries with conservative governments, as under his rule, many countries realized they could have more rights than they had been given under their old rulers. This would cause a string of revolutions later in the century, shaping the continent into modern Europe. Napoleon also ruled unlike other absolute rulers, being able to govern successfully, "it was in part because Bonaparte saw to the creation of a new style of regime ... a civil (not a military) dictatorship" Ruling a civil dictatorship, Napoleon therefore gave more consideration to the people than other absolute rulers, and would be more likely to get support for his plans as he was viewed as being better than the previous kings. Napoleon also managed to install a feeling of nationalism, including in France, where "for the people, war became less of a petty squabble between monarchies and more of a nationwide effort to achieve an important goal." This would cause citizens to realize that being at war was to achieve something, and they would therefore put more effort into winning the war, because then it would benefit their country. Napoleon ruled his empire by French laws inspired by the Enlightenment, which made many people realize that they could have more rights than they previously did, endangering the conservative governments after Napoleon fell, meaning he changed the structure of