Different factors led to Napoleon's success
There are many factors that were part of Napoleon's success. Some of these were because of his personality, and others were completely out of his control. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1796 on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. In that same year French troops invaded Corsica and crushed a movement for independence. According to Larry S. Krieger, the first factor that influenced Napoleon was completely out of his control. When he was ten years old, his parents sent him to a military school outside of Paris were his French schoolmates snubbed him as a foreigner. Since Bonaparte was cut off from the other students and a social life, he devoted all of his time to mastering military tactics. When he finished school at sixteen, he was already a lieutenant in the artillery. Now, the second factor outside of his control occurred. The French Revolution broke out and Bonaparte, as a lieutenant, went to fight in the war. In October 1795, fate handed the young officer a chance for glory. An army of royalists threatened the palace where the National Convention was being held and a government official told Bonaparte to defend the palace. When thousands of royalists attacked and were sent into retreat by Napol
Publications, inc, 1993, Pg. 193-199. Napoleon, using his political mastery, won control of the government on November 9 1799. He sent five hundred of his troops to drive out the elected members of the first chamber of the national legislature; the second chamber was so frightened that they signed over control to three consuls with Napoleon being one of them. Gordan, Irving l. World History. "The Napoleonic Era". New York: Amsco School Massachusetts: D. C. Heath and Company, 1990, Pg. 492-499. After a few days, Napoleon was again emperor of France. Even though he lost the battle that followed (Waterloo) and was exiled this time to a prison, he did prove that the people would follow him still, even after exile. I believe, that although Napoleon lost The Battle of Waterloo proves my point, that it was Napoleon who made himself successful, and not the circumstances out of his control. The people followed Napoleon not because of the times, or because of his victories, they followed him because of his personality. "A French writer named Alexander de Tocqueville summed up Napoleon's personality best by saying, 'He was as great as a man can be without virtue.'"2 Larry S. Krieger also believes it was Napoleon's personality that allowed him to succeed, in his book he said, "Napoleon was a small man (five feet six inches tall) who's personality and ambition allowed him to cast a long shadow over the history of modern times. It can be compared to that of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, Hannibal of Carthage, and Julius Caesar of Rome."
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Irving Gordan, Napoleon Complex, Elba Alexander, France Napoleon, Larry Krieger, Ulm Napoleon, Battle Waterloo, Europe Napoleon, Paris French, National Convention, rise power, military school, world history, napoleonic era, allowed napoleon, battles napoleon, napoleon's rise power, napoleon's rise, napoleon's personality, 1967 pg 151, history perspectives, french revolution, press 1967 pg, sent military school, krieger larry world,
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