BONAPARTE, NAPOLEON.   Term Paper ID:19234 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Life, career & death of 18th Cent.-19th Cent. French leader.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Life, career & death of 18th Cent.-19th Cent. French leader. Paper Introduction: In 1799, after years of war and domestic problems, Napoleon Bonaparte took over the reigns of government in France. The people of France believed that a strong military leader was what they needed to restore stability and peace to their nation, so even though Napoleon attained his power through a coup, the French people allowed him to rule. Napoleon was an egotistical little warrior, coming from rather crude beginnings, with lofty ideas and ambitions. Seeing himself as ". . . the destined Savior of the French (Lerner 711), he intended to take over the continent of Europe using any means necessary. In many of his campaigns he was relatively successful and in spite of a brief exile to Elba, he retained control of the French military and government until his defeat at Waterloo and his final exile to St. Helena. Had he not died on St. Helena (some say he was Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Using the excuse that Russia hadbroken her agreements with France to live peaceably, he advanced on Russia. The controversy over hisdeath is really a moot point because he was known to have stomach cancerand would have died fairly soon in any case. Nineteen yearsafter Napoleon's death his body was removed from the grave. Oddly enough this is partly whatattracted him to the middle class people of France who had long been livingunder the thumb of the privileged class. Had he not died on St. Napoleon. Duly crowned hebegan his campaigns of war in Europe. Helena. After Junot appeared to have control of Portugal Napoleon decidedthat the time was right to enter Spain. It was he who had authorized the French troops to be in Spain.Napoleon took advantage of these opportunities and advanced his troops.Had it been left up to the king and Godoy he may have succeeded, but thepeople of Spain had very different ideas. When they were opened Napoleon's very dead and very well preserved bodywas found. The Campaigns of Napoleon: The Mind and Method of History's Greatest Soldier. After numerous campaigns, some successful, some not, Napoleon put inmotion his plan to conquer Spain and Portugal. The French governmenthas refused to allow modern forensic tests to be done on Napoleon andunless they do we will never know for sure. Had henot had such a large ego and such lofty ideas he may well have been a boonto the French people and her government. He had notbeen embalmed before his burial, but he was buried in six unsealed coffins. He was given the choice of eitherretreating for the winter or heading for Moscow. Undoubtedly Napoleon wouldhave been happy to know that his memory is as well preserved as his bodyand he would have enjoyed the controversy over his final demise. . Another reason his plans in Spain were unsuccessful was Napoleon'slack of belief in the Spanish military and her ability to resist aninvasion. . . At this time the Spanishgovernment was overall corrupt and lacked any unity. the destined Savior ofthe French (Lerner 711), he intended to take over the continent of Europeusing any means necessary. Spain had previously allowed French troops to surround many ofher northern cities supposedly to protect her from invasion. In order to conquerPortugal Napoleon insisted that the Spanish government agree to closing theports of Portugal to British imports. In essence this agreement paved the way to Napoleon's having theChurch sanction his crowning as Emperor Napoleon I. Napoleon was not to be stopped so easily, however, for before theyear was out he had returned to France. When Napoleon's enemies heard of his return they immediatelydetermined to defeat him before he had a chance to get started. . The Murder of Napoleon. Seemingly undeterred by his problems in Spain, Napoleon, in 1812,entered Russia. strengths as aleader lay in his ability to conceive of financial, legal, or militaryplans and then to master their every detail . New York: MacMillan Company, 1966.Lerner, Robert E., Standish Meacham, and Edward McNall Burns. Works CitedBowle, John. It is suggested that a body so well preserved after nineteenyears in unsealed coffins points to only one conclusion--that Napoleon hadbeen murdered by the use of arsenic (Weider, p.256). . The people of Francebelieved that a strong military leader was what they needed to restorestability and peace to their nation, so even though Napoleon attained hispower through a coup, the French people allowed him to rule. W. . Helena remains a matter of contentionbetween historians to this day. His family was said to have beentitled. In the endNapoleon had neverconsidered the Spaniards' national pride and determination, nor theresistance that they would bring to bear. The people again welcomed him astheir leader. Some historianssuggest that Napoleon left St. Even though his troops took over Moscow the previousbattle and the prospect of the cold winter ahead were too much for him.With numerous other options open to him he still decided to withdraw.Napoleon was never truly successful in battle again. Wellington had surveyed the battle areaand determined that the best place to defeat Napoleon was at Waterloo. In 18 1 Napoleon believed that his cause would be better advanced ifhe managed a reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church. He did not know, nor would his ego have allowedhim to see, that he was wrong. In June of 1812 Napoleon led his troops from Poland to the Russian border. He chose the latter.After the battle of Borodino, which ended virtually in a draw, Napoleoncontinued to Moscow. Chicago: Follett Publishing, 1975.Chandler, David G. Shortly after Napoleon took power he convinced the people to vote fora new constitution. Helena (some say he wasmurdered), he may well have returned to France in another attempt toconquer Europe. He would have beenconsidered a rude oafish little man. Combined withNapoleon's "unusual misjudgment' Wellington was able to do this andoverwhelmingly defeated Napoleon's troops (Bowle, 188-194). There are several reasons why Napoleon'seffortsin Spain were less than successful. Napoleon attended the militaryacademy in Paris where he learned how to use his brilliant mind to the bestadvantage. Basically Napoleon thought that he could take overSpain with ease. . In many of his campaigns he was relativelysuccessful and in spite of a brief exile to Elba, he retained control ofthe French military and government until his defeat at Waterloo and hisfinal exile to St. Napoleon was forced to give up and he wassoon shipped off to the island of Elba. ." (Lerner 711). Helena and lived out his life a free man andthat someone else was buried in his grave. Theprimary defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo was due to the leadership abilitiesof the first Duke of Wellington. They determined to rid themselves of Napoleon once and for all.The results of this was several battles fought in Germany and the entranceof foreign troops into France. Volumes have been written on the death of Napoleon. Seeing himself as ". Theyoverwhelmingly approved the new document and Napoleon was on his way toconquer the globe. Western Civilizations: Their History and Their Culture. There is some evidence to contradict both of these suggestions.The best evidence in this case is of course, the body. In this way he would also control the South American portsand control the British ships. In 1799, after years of war and domestic problems, Napoleon Bonapartetook over the reigns of government in France. He did so more because he thought Russia and the TsarAlexander were a threat to his power. Napoleonnegotiated a covenant with the Pope ". Napoleon's reign lasted a short 15 years, yet he remains one of themost remembered foreign leaders of all time. "King Charles IV ofthe Spanish House of Bourbon was an inbred and incompetent figurehead,completely devoid of any statesman like qualities and without a trace ofnational pride," writes David Chandler (6 2). Manuel Godoy, who wasdisliked by most Spaniards was the one who held the most power at thistime. Even though the Spaniards hatedGodoy they supported him in the efforts to stop Napoleon. Hedetermined to draw Napoleon and his troops into that region. This constitution would provide that all decisionsregarding the government and the military would be made by Napoleonhimself. Since Spain had a great deal of control over SouthAmerican ports and since Napoleon was aware of the fact that British shipswere still being allowed in many ports he considered it vital that hecontrol Spain. The people of France, however, were made to believe that thesepowers would be retained by themselves through popular vote. New York: W. The agreement relinquished all claims the Church had onlands in France and ensured the Catholic clergy of an income from thestate. What happened to him on St. Once againNapoleon was exiled, this time to St. Through the secret treaty ofFontainebleau the Spanish government and Napoleon agreed that when thelatter took over Portugal that certain lands would be shared with Spain.Napoleon's ultimate plan, to also conquer Spain, was not part of theagreement. Napoleon, however, was less than a gentleman. ." wrote Napoleon (Chandler 6 1) and he believed thatthe "moment" was in 18 8. Others suggest that he died ofcancer. "To choose the right moment is thegreat art of men . wasobsessed with the need to strengthen and perfect the Continental System"(Chandler 6 2). He crowned himselfEmperor at the Notre Dame cathedral in 18 4 (Lerner 714). Helena. New York: Congdon & Lattes, 1982.----------------------- 7 One final reason that Napoleon was unsuccessful in Spain was his lackof faith in the people of Spain and their rulers. The Bourbontroops were considered no better than the troops Napoleon had so easilyconquered in Italy. To begin with, Napoleon ". Between that time and September Napoleon had been unsuccessful inengaging any opposing troops in battle. Napoleon wasan egotistical little warrior, coming from rather crude beginnings, withlofty ideas and ambitions. Napoleon's decision to withdraw from Russia and his near defeat theregave courage to his enemies in the countries of Prussia, Austria, andRussia. which reunited Church and state"(Lerner 713). . Napoleon was born in Corsica. His troops crossed the River Niemen entering Russia unopposed on June 23,1812. The egoof the little tyrant would not have allowed otherwise. . . A child of the Enlightenment, Napoleon's ". Norton, 1988.Weider, Ben, and David Hapgood. He was never to return toFrance. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.