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Some
starting points.
“I closed the gulf of anarchy and brought order
out of chaos. I rewarded merit regardless of birth or wealth, wherever
I found it. I abolished feudalism and restored equality to all regardless
of religion and before the law. I fought the decrepit monarchies of
the Old Regime because the alternative was the destruction of all this.
I purified the Revolution.” (Napoleon)
“The civil effects of his rule were not always as radical and
innovatory as has often been supposed. The letter of the Imperial Law,
the terms of the Napoleonic Codes, and the constitutions formally proclaimed
in the subject states all suggest a reforming zeal of a colossal scale.
In practice however, not all of that reforming vision was systematically
carried through to its official conclusion.” (Ellis)
“If his great codes and other civil reforms anticipate the professionalism
of later political systems, his military, dynastic and social designs
had more in common with the mentality of earlier warrior kings. Of all
the symbolical images of Napoleon’s true ambition, the Carolingian
analogy remains the most plausible. Indeed Napoleon self consciously
encouraged this vision of himself as a ‘new Charlemagne’
and of his realm as the historic heir of the old Frankish Empire, extending
naturally from France into Germany and Italy. (In the ceremony of his
Imperial coronation, ..... he flaunted the sword and crown of Charlemagne
as symbols of his inheritance)”. (Ellis)
“Napoleon was both behind and ahead of his time, the last of the
enlightened despots, and a prophet of the modern state” (Bergeron)
Evaluating the myth: what factors do you think
might influence historians as they analyse the life and work of Napoleon?
Consider both the nature of the historians (their
nationality, their audience?), the context in which they write (including
their political standpoint, when they are writing, the varying impact
of the Napoleonic myth over time etc), the assessment criteria they
use and what they are focusing on (eg those with a particular regional
focus, or military emphasis etc).
CJM
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