After hearing how many Americans think of Napoleon as a tyrant or a bad dictator (despite all he did for the young USA), I would like to remind people of all the long-lasting achievements of Napoleon or achievements that were allowed to exist during his reign.
Napoleon did not start the French Revolution, but soon imposed himself as the greatest military strategist and national hero of the Revolution. At 30 years old (in 1799), he becomes First Consul (and de facto ruler) of France, 10 years after the French people revolted against their king. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French (not that he wasn't Emperor of France, as he was not an absolute monarch like the previous kings of France).
Defeated by the Russians, Prussians, Austrians and Brits in 1814, with a short comeback in 1815, his actual time as the head of state of France was limited to 15 years, i.e. hardly longer than Franklin D. Roosevelt as president of the US, Francois Mitterand or Jacques Chirac as president of France, or even Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair as PM of the UK. Napoleon's reign was 10 years shorter than Stalin's, 12 years shorter than Mao Zedong, and 38 years shorter than Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
However Napoleon's reign saw more changes, great cultural achievements and military success than under any of the above-mentioned leaders. He was more loved and admired at home (and abroad) than any of these other leaders.
Here are some noteworthy accomplishements that can be attributed directly or indirectly to Napoleon :
Sciences, discoveries & inventions
- Decipherment of hieroglyphic writing by French scientists during Napoleon's Egyptian expedition.
- invention of the ambulance service by a doctor of Napoleon's army.
- invention of the submarine by American Robert Fulton commissioned by Napoleon. First launched in France in 1800.
- Napoleon himself is given credit for discovering and proving Napoleon's theorem in mathematics.
Government & Law
- the Napoleonic Code : the first successful codification of a civil legal system in Europe. It has formed the basis of the private law systems in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and their former colonies, thus becoming the most influencial legal system in the world.
- the metric system : invented in 18th-century France, officially adopted in 1791, but only proclaimed as the only measure system in 1799. It is now the universal measurement system, which only the USA, Myanmar and Sierra Leone haven't adopted yet.
- the tricolour French flag and the Marseillaise (national anthem) : symbol of the French Revolution, they were kept by Napoleon as the national flag, even during the Empire, which assured its survival to this day.
Freedom & national cause
- spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment throughout Europe and Latin America, including the concepts of Human Rights, equality of rights, constitution and citizenship.
- part of Poland's national identity : Poland is the only country in the world to invoke Napoleon in its national anthem. Napoleon indeed contributed in the independence of Poland from Russia or Prussia.
- the unification of Germany : Napoleon is credited with reorganizing what had been the Holy Roman Empire made up of more than 1,000 entities into a more streamlined network of 40 states providing the basis for the German Confederation and the future unification of Germany under the German Empire in 1871.
- the Louisiana purchase by the USA : without Napoleon's decision to sell the French possessions making about 1/3 of the present-day USA, the US history would be very different. By this sale Napoleon more than doubled the size of USA, one of his rare ally, helped by France to gain its independence two decades earlier.
- the European emancipation of the Jews : Napoleon played an important role by abolishing old laws in most of Europe restricting the Jews to ghettos, as well as the many laws that limited Jews' rights to property, worship, and careers. We could note that the Rothschild banking family of France was founded in 1812, under Napoleon's reign.
Arts
- some of France's greatest neoclassical artists were sponsored by Napoleon, such as Jacques-Louis David or Ingres.
- the Empire style (named after Napoleon' Empire) in architecture, furniture, painting, etc.
- Beethoven's Heroic Symphony, inspired by and originally dedicated to Napoleon.
- Napoleon is also known for his spirit and has been a oft-mentioned source of quotations.
Napoleon did not start the French Revolution, but soon imposed himself as the greatest military strategist and national hero of the Revolution. At 30 years old (in 1799), he becomes First Consul (and de facto ruler) of France, 10 years after the French people revolted against their king. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French (not that he wasn't Emperor of France, as he was not an absolute monarch like the previous kings of France).
Defeated by the Russians, Prussians, Austrians and Brits in 1814, with a short comeback in 1815, his actual time as the head of state of France was limited to 15 years, i.e. hardly longer than Franklin D. Roosevelt as president of the US, Francois Mitterand or Jacques Chirac as president of France, or even Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair as PM of the UK. Napoleon's reign was 10 years shorter than Stalin's, 12 years shorter than Mao Zedong, and 38 years shorter than Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
However Napoleon's reign saw more changes, great cultural achievements and military success than under any of the above-mentioned leaders. He was more loved and admired at home (and abroad) than any of these other leaders.
Here are some noteworthy accomplishements that can be attributed directly or indirectly to Napoleon :
Sciences, discoveries & inventions
- Decipherment of hieroglyphic writing by French scientists during Napoleon's Egyptian expedition.
- invention of the ambulance service by a doctor of Napoleon's army.
- invention of the submarine by American Robert Fulton commissioned by Napoleon. First launched in France in 1800.
- Napoleon himself is given credit for discovering and proving Napoleon's theorem in mathematics.
Government & Law
- the Napoleonic Code : the first successful codification of a civil legal system in Europe. It has formed the basis of the private law systems in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and their former colonies, thus becoming the most influencial legal system in the world.
- the metric system : invented in 18th-century France, officially adopted in 1791, but only proclaimed as the only measure system in 1799. It is now the universal measurement system, which only the USA, Myanmar and Sierra Leone haven't adopted yet.
- the tricolour French flag and the Marseillaise (national anthem) : symbol of the French Revolution, they were kept by Napoleon as the national flag, even during the Empire, which assured its survival to this day.
Freedom & national cause
- spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment throughout Europe and Latin America, including the concepts of Human Rights, equality of rights, constitution and citizenship.
- part of Poland's national identity : Poland is the only country in the world to invoke Napoleon in its national anthem. Napoleon indeed contributed in the independence of Poland from Russia or Prussia.
- the unification of Germany : Napoleon is credited with reorganizing what had been the Holy Roman Empire made up of more than 1,000 entities into a more streamlined network of 40 states providing the basis for the German Confederation and the future unification of Germany under the German Empire in 1871.
- the Louisiana purchase by the USA : without Napoleon's decision to sell the French possessions making about 1/3 of the present-day USA, the US history would be very different. By this sale Napoleon more than doubled the size of USA, one of his rare ally, helped by France to gain its independence two decades earlier.
- the European emancipation of the Jews : Napoleon played an important role by abolishing old laws in most of Europe restricting the Jews to ghettos, as well as the many laws that limited Jews' rights to property, worship, and careers. We could note that the Rothschild banking family of France was founded in 1812, under Napoleon's reign.
Arts
- some of France's greatest neoclassical artists were sponsored by Napoleon, such as Jacques-Louis David or Ingres.
- the Empire style (named after Napoleon' Empire) in architecture, furniture, painting, etc.
- Beethoven's Heroic Symphony, inspired by and originally dedicated to Napoleon.
- Napoleon is also known for his spirit and has been a oft-mentioned source of quotations.
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