In the wake of the Revolution, and the toll it took on France, Napoleon did not aim at small, specific things, only to save France and make her greatness continue far past the demise of the Bourbon kings. He succeeded.

Perhaps his paramount concern was his own career while he was a rising soldier, but his vision and effectiveness increased in proportion to his rise and his power. In the end he proved, first, that France’s greatness and its political and military power did not depend one whit on the leadership of the Bourbon kings. I think that he also legitimized the greater ideals of the French Revolution and the ideals of the Enlightenment for all the world and all time, though I can see where some would dispute that a self-crowned emperor could represent, much less export, the ideals of “liberty, equality, and fraternity”.

And yet, instituting the enlightened Napoleonic Code of Law in the conquered countries was an act that gave France enduring influence in Europe, and it was a lasting positive result of the French Revolution (an event without which this great man would never have come to power in France). What a benefit to France, to unite a nation cast into chaos by the Revolution! What a grand ideal to seek to unite Europe under the ideals of the Enlightenment, to rid the continent of the old hereditary rulers for all time!

A scion of a noble family of Corsica who grew up speaking Italian, he was a beneficiary of the fact that Corsica was under French control at the time hence he was qualified, as a child, to get a military education in France. Of noble if not rich background, he rose on merits including ingenuity, a great talent for self-promotion, brilliant military strategic skills, tremendous military leadership ability, and equally great charisma and administrative ability to unite all classes . Thus, thanks to Napoleon, France for a time was successful in the enterprise of seeking to become the strongest power in Europe.

His very success, and his on-the-balance enlightened rule, proved for all time that ability is not confined to a royal line! This invaluable lesson was heightened by the contrast between Napoleon and the foolish, self-indulgent royal family that the revolution demolished. Without Napoleon and his victories, France very likely would have fallen into a dark age of anarchy resulting in France being the most powerless instead of the most powerful nation in Europe during those crucial years.

His influence, his triumphs, were in broad, bold strokes. The measure of his greatness is that France as it is— and Europe and the world as they are– cannot be imagined without the influence of Napoleon. You say that you see not one thing in France that was changed by Napoleon, but, in truth, Napoleon, to France, was the difference between chaos and order, between ignomy and greatness, between triumph and defeat, and, metaphorically, the difference between night and day.

Dark indeed would have been the future of France if weak men had presided over it during this crucial time. In the chaos following the revolution, the country no doubt would have been partitioned among the powers of Europe and the monarchy reimposed by enemies rather than reinstituted for a time by Frenchmen themselves. A very big difference!

When he was defeated at Waterloo, the proud French spirit, the tremendous pride in France that he inspired, still arched proudly over France like the blue sky as it still does today! With all of its differences and disputes with other nations, and with all of the failings that any great nation or any great man has, France, author of the Enlightenment, cradle of the ideas behind the American as well as the French revolution, is still one of the best and most enlightened nations in the world.

I do not think it would have survived its own Revolution without Napoleon, who, in ways that are hard to describe much less prove conclusively, ended up being instrumental in preserving its best ideals in modern France and the modern world.

“Liberty, equality and fraternity!” (Thus we are equals, “siblings” by virtue of the brotherhood of mankind upheld through the ideals of the French Revolution exported to other nations by Napoleon, and we also are free to disagree with one another, even though, if we had lived in Imperial France, we might have had limited power to disagree with Napoleon.)

Simply positioned: Economically – Oversaw Haussman’s rebuilding of Paris (as we realize it at present), situated a brand new sort of banking tuition referred to as the Credit Mobilier. Military – He divided the grand armee into corps (small sized armies) that would be used extra without problems to goal enemies.(and into skirmishers, lancers e.t.c.) Socially – The Napoleonic Code extra liberalized the country. (an extension of the proper to possess estate and a transfer to the top of feudalism) Politically – Created his possess charter constructing the sort of presidency referred to as the Consulate These are the important thing features for each and every name. Hope it is helping.

He turned their army into a powerhouse up until they got to the Russian campaign.

He was a dictaor.