Why Was Napoleon Bonaparte Considered A Hero?

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After the downfall of King Louis XVI and the terrible reign of Robespierre, a French military general by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte stepped up to lead France. During his reign as both a military leader and emperor of France, Napoleon was the recipient of both praise and criticism. To some, Napoleon was a tyrant that did not rule well, but to many others, Napoleon was a fair leader and was even considered a hero. Although Napoleon Bonaparte made a few mistakes during his regime as a leader, I feel like his changes to France have been more helpful than harmful. Before Napoleon became emperor, he was a young military general who helped achieve victories in many battles, such as leading the French army to wins against both Austria and Great Britain. Once he returned to France after winning a battle in Egypt, Napoleon replaced the Directory with a group of three consuls, one of whom was Napoleon himself as …show more content…

He also created a set of laws called the Napoleonic Code. This code stated that everyone was to be treated equally before the law, class advancement would be fully based on merit, and there would be religious tolerance. This religious tolerance only worked after Napoleon made peace with the Catholic Church, which I believe was one of his greatest achievements as emperor. Even though Napoleon’s code worked well and helped the citizens, many argue that he was tyrant as he replaced the values of the French revolution with his own. Instead of “liberty, equality, and fraternity”, Napoleon believed in “order, security, and efficiency”. Also, as Napoleon was both emperor and the leader of the French army, he was in charge of multiple invasions of other countries, such as Spain. Napoleon was one who frequently practiced nepotism, as when he took control of Spain, he replaced the King with his brother, despite his lack of