whether Napoleon must be considered as a traitor to the french revolutionary cause or not

whether Napoleon must be considered as a traitor to the french revolutionary cause or not

Introduction:

Napoleon Bonaparte was known as the great warrior who conquered the maximum part of Europe in the early 19th century. He was the greatest military general in history and the first consul of France. It has been said that he was the first military general who devotes his life to the french revolution. Napoleonic code was one of the greatest inventions by Napoleon, which has been praised by the world to date. However, several controversies have been reported in the history books and research articles which raise the question on the credentials of Napoleon and his success stories. The present argumentative essay will highlight the fact and cross-check them based on several literature reviews and surveys to determine the fact whether Napoleon must be considered as a traitor to the french revolutionary cause or not.

The ideals of the french revolution were based on liberty, equality, fraternity, and anti-clericalism. The oppression by the state authority was observed at that time. They censored the publications which criticize the decisions of monarchy, aristocracy, and church. The state was abusive towards the population who disagree to obey the rule made by the king. Liberty indicates the freedom from all kinds of abuse and tortures that people were facing at that time. The idea of revolution also underpinned equality. The social structure of France was uneven and unfair before the revolution. The taxation system was different for different classes of people. The lower class people could not participate in the political decisions, and thus citizens of the third estate want equality. The fraternity can be translated into the brotherhood of the nation. The citizens were bound together in solidarity. According to the videos and pictures of revolutionary acts, three states were working together to improve the nation. However, along with time, when political divisions emerged, the fraternity was evaporated.

The revolutionary period aims to curb the power of the king. Under the constitution of 1791, the provisions were made to focus on the following provisions. It said that the power must be distributed within the legislature, judiciary, and executive institutions. It also demanded the abolition of the feudal system. The national assembly got the power to reform society. The assembly was made based on the elective procedures done by the citizens. The constitution was also focused on the natural and inalienable rights for the citizens.

History says that Napoleon played a crucial role in France’s revolutions. Being a military general, he seized political power in 1799 and became the emperor of France with many revolutionary achievements. He revolutionized the military departments by strengthening the training procedures. He established Napoleonic code, proposed long-lived concordat with the papacy, and reorganized the civil laws and regulatory systems. The Napoleonic code or french civil code forbade privileges based on birth and stated that government jobs must be achieved based on the credentials by the citizens. The Napoleonic code made him the first consul of France, which indicated the dictatorship. Being a first consul, he appointed ministers, magistrates and civil servants according to his choices. The code demolished the guild in the nation and gave privilege to industrialists, professionals, and business people intending to improve the economic condition of France. It granted freedom of religion and established universal property rights. Napoleon proposed an equal tax system. He reformed the education system by building several schools and educational institutions as he understood the necessity of education in the military and bureaucracy.

Concordat was the agreement made by Napoleon with pope Pius VII of the roman catholic church in France to reconcile revolutionaries with Catholics. He solidified the power of papal and clerical representatives in France and Rome. It resolved the differentiation between french Catholics and state. Bishops were selected to regulate the church finances.

Napoleon brought political stability in the war-torn nation and reversed most radical policies. He took the initiative to end the conflicts of Roman Catholic churches. These factors influenced many European countries in raising their nationalism. Napoleon also has an impact on the idea of liberalism, which was one of the significant elements of France’s revolutionary war.

Initially, he has been praised by citizens due to his charismatic leadership power. Also, he was famous all over Europe for his revolutionary acts. However, after time passed, citizens understood that he was not flawless, and several criticisms have been started to circulate. His Napoleonic code did not provide justice to women as this code was made to give the authority to men, and it deprived women of several rights. His equalism concept did not apply to women at that time. Also, the dictatorship by Napoleon was getting worse after a time being. He was keen to gain more power and respect, and for that reason, he started to strengthen the military system to conquer the world. As a result, the development of France was slowed down. Another important fact is napoleon did not establish the equality in France ultimately as his napoleon code did injustice to women. After the revolutionary war, he restored the monarchy type government settings by emphasizing the dictatorship. He announced himself as the first emperor of France, which contradicts the idealistic facts of France’s revolutionary movements. Though he was successful in balancing the finance of the country, it seemed to be abolished due to his keen interest in wars. His egoism was considered as the main culprit in his changing behaviors towards the citizens of France.

However, the debate on whether Napoleon was a savior or suppressor of France revolution will never end. Many people said that he used the revolutionary time for his advantages, but nobody can ignore his contribution to the reformation in education and finance of the country. He was the one who first demolished the idea of nepotism, and he resolves the tension between church and states through a concordat.

Conclusion:

Despite all of his contrary acts and egos, which led to a quick breakdown of his dictatorship, history cannot forget Napoleon’s contribution to France’s revolutionary movements. He was the one who had shown the way to the citizens to defeat the monarch and end-all of the conflicts, tortures, and abuses. Although his idealism partially differs from the principle of France revolution, he was the one who made a move towards an end with organized ways. Thus, napoleon must be remembered as the greatest leader, not as a traitor in the history of revolution.