How Powerful Was Napoleon?

Napoleon Bonaparte had a unique influence on not only France, but many other countries as well. Napoleon was a general of the French army, and is recognized by many as the greatest general of all time. The essential question in class was, “What was Napoleon’s impact on the social, economic and political systems of Europe?” In class we answered this question by analyzing several documents and maps about Napoleon.  We used a document from Madame de Stael, a document from Marshal Michel Nay, and a Map of all the countries Napoleon ruled. In the documents from Stael and Ney we highlighted any points that either of them made about Napoleon.

Napoleon on his horse directing the troops.

Napoleon heavily influenced the social, economic, and political systems of Europe. He influenced the social environment in Europe because wherever he traveled people trembled. Napoleon conquered many countries and because of this he influenced many lives. In places he conquered most of the people who lived there had to change the way they live in order to follow his rules. When Madame de Stael was describing Napoleon she said,” By Alternating between cunning and force he has subjugated [conquered] Europe.” This quote proves that people knew Napoleon wasn’t afraid to use brute force to overtake a country. Politically, Napoleon mainly influenced France. Napoleon had enough power that he was able to make himself emperor of France. Napoleon worked to create a system where people were rewarded based on how hard they worked as opposed to their family. Economically, Napoleon made several key decisions that greatly influenced France. First, he was in charge of how much people could charge for items. He tried to be fair with these prices. Second, Napoleon made the decision to sell Louisiana in 1803. Even though France received a decent amount of money, the sale of Louisiana doubled the size of the United States.

Overall, I feel that Napoleon generally was a great help to France during this time. I agree more with Marshal Michel Ney than with Madame de Stael because I feel that de Stael’s opinion is biased because she is a member of the aristocracy and Napoleon was a believer in earning your value in life, and he wasn’t all about the aristocracy. 

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