Napoleon Bonaparte: Great Leader Of Flawed Dictator

Napoleon Bonaparte – Great Leader of Flawed Dictator Today, Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the most prominent leaders in world history. Born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, Napoleon was the fourth child of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. His father was an attorney, and while both of Napoleon’s parents were members of the minor Corsican nobility, the family did not possess much wealth. He attended school as a child in mainland France and later attended military school for five years, where he absorbed literature on history and famous military generals and their strategies. While Napoleon was at a military academy in Paris, his father died from stomach cancer, causing him to have to move back to Corsica in 1786
His position allowed him to appoint ministers, generals, civil servants, magistrates, and members of the legislative assemblies (Napoleon Bonaparte). He centralized the government and instituted many reforms in areas such as the economy, legal system, education, and religion. Napoleon sought to improve relations between his leadership and the Pope and reinstated Roman Catholicism as the state’s religion. One of his most significant accomplishments while in the position of first consul was the development of the Napoleonic code. The Napoleonic code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and stated that government jobs must be given to the most qualified (Napoleon). In addition, it largely streamlined the French legal system and remains as the core of the civil law of France today. Napoleon also negotiated peace in Europe. The changes brought by Napoleon’s authority were widely popular within France. In 1802 he was elected consul for life after a constitutional amendment. Two years later in a lavish ceremony, he crowned himself emperor of France. (Napoleon,
The reforms he previously instituted still proved to be popular, and his Napoleonic code was a positive development because it ensured equality of all citizens although it did not give rights to women. In 1808, he moved to recreate the French aristocracy, which was abolished as a result of the French Revolution. He handed titles of nobility to those he felt served him particularly well, mostly to friends and family that proved loyal during his uprising. He reinstated aristocracy as an attempt to bolster his power and reputation. Napoleon hoped that handing out titles would create allies and strengthen relationships with loyal servants to the regime. A new court was set up, though he did not enjoy the formalities it brought. These changes did not affect the average French citizen however. Tax codes were reformed and made fairer. Public education was modernized as a result of his changes. He set up lycees, which were secondary schools funded by the government that helped educate the common people with no regard for social class. Napoleon was a popular and effective emperor (Napoleon