After the French Revolution erupted in 1789, Europe was thrown into chaos. Neighboring countries' monarchs feared they would share the fate of Louis XVI, and attacked the New Republic, while at home, extremism and mistrust between factions lead to bloodshed. In the midst of all this conflict, a powerful figure emerged to take charge of France. But did he save the revolution or destroy it? "Order, order, who's the defendant today? I don't see anyone." "Your Honor, this is Napoléon Bonaparte, the tyrant who invaded nearly all of Europe to compensate for his personal stature-based insecurities." "Actually, Napoléon was at least average height for his time. The idea that he was short comes only from British wartime propaganda. And he was no tyrant. He was safeguarding the young Republic from being crushed by the European monarchies." "By overthrowing its government and seizing power himself?" "Your Honor, as a young and successful military officer, Napoléon fully supported the French Revolution, and its ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. But the revolutionaries were incapable of real leadership. Robespierre and the Jacobins who first came to power unleashed a reign of terror on the population, with their anti-Catholic extremism and nonstop executions of everyone who disagreed with them. And The Directory that replaced them was an unstable and incompetent oligarchy. They needed a strong leader who could govern wisely and justly." "So, France went through that whole revolution just to end up with another all-powerful ruler?" "Not quite. Napoléon's new powers were derived from the constitution that was approved by a popular vote in the Consulate." "Ha! The constitution was practically dictated at gunpoint in a military coup, and the public only accepted the tyrant because they were tired of constant civil war." "Be that as it may, Napoléon introduced a new constitution and a legal code that kept some of the most important achievements of the revolution in tact: freedom of religion abolition of hereditary privilege, and equality before the law for all men." "All men, indeed. He deprived women of the rights that the revolution had given them and even reinstated slavery in the French colonies. Haiti is still recovering from the consequences centuries later. What kind of equality is that?" "The only kind that could be stably maintained at the time, and still far ahead of France's neighbors." "Speaking of neighbors, what was with all the invasions?" "Great question, Your Honor." "Which invasions are we talking about? It was the neighboring empires who had invaded France trying to restore the monarchy, and prevent the spread of liberty across Europe, twice by the time Napoléon took charge. Having defended France as a soldier and a general in those wars, he knew that the best defense is a good offense." "An offense against the entire continent? Peace was secured by 1802, and other European powers recognized the new French Regime. But Bonaparte couldn't rest unless he had control of the whole continent, and all he knew was fighting. He tried to enforce a European-wide blockade of Britain, invaded any country that didn't comply, and launched more wars to hold onto his gains. And what was the result? Millions dead all over the continent, and the whole international order shattered." "You forgot the other result: the spread of democratic and liberal ideals across Europe. It was thanks to Napoléon that the continent was reshaped from a chaotic patchwork of fragmented feudal and religious territories into efficient, modern, and secular nation states where the people held more power and rights than ever before." "Should we also thank him for the rise of nationalism and the massive increase in army sizes? You can see how well that turned out a century later." "So what would European history have been like if it weren't for Napoléon?" "Unimaginably better/worse." Napoléon seemingly unstoppable momentum would die in the Russian winter snows, along with most of his army. But even after being deposed and exiled, he refused to give up, escaping from his prison and launching a bold attempt at restoring his empire before being defeated for the second and final time. Bonaparte was a ruler full of contradictions, defending a popular revolution by imposing absolute dictatorship, and spreading liberal ideals through imperial wars, and though he never achieved his dream of conquering Europe, he undoubtedly left his mark on it, for better or for worse.
Setelah Revolusi Prancis pecah pada tahun 1789, situasi Eropa menjadi kacau. negara-negara monarki Eropa yang takut akan senasib dengan Louis XVI, kemudian menyerang Republik Baru itu, sedang di Prancis, esktrimisme dan curiga antargolongan berujung pertumpahan darah Di tengah tengah kekacauan ini, Seorang tokoh kuat muncul untuk memimpin Prancis Tapi apa sebenarnya ia menyelamatkan revolusi atau justru menghancurkannya? Hakim: "Harap tenang, siapa terdakwa kita hari ini? Saya tak melihat siapapun" Jaksa: "Yang Mulia, ini Napoleon Bonaparte, pemimpin lalim yang hampir menaklukan seluruh Eropa demi menutupi kekurangan fisiknya." Pembela: "Sebenarnya, tinggi badan Napoleon tergolong normal pada zamannya. Isu dia bertubuh pendek berasal dari propaganda Inggris saat perang. Dan dia bukan seorang pemimpin lalim Dia menjaga Republik muda itu dari kehancuran yang ditimbulkan kerajaan-kerajaan di Eropa." Dengan menggulingkan pemerintahan dan merampas kekuasaan? Yang mulia, sebagai perwira muda yang sukses, Napoleon mendukung penuh Revolusi Prancis Dan semboyan kebebasan, persamaan, dan persaudaraan. Tapi para revolusioner tidak mampu memimpin Robespierre dan elite partai adalah yang pertama memimpin merupakan rezim teror bagi masyarakat dengan paham anti-Katolik dan tindakan mereka mengeksekusi siapapun yang tidak sepaham dengan mereka. dan Direktori penggantinya merupakan oligarki yang lemah Prancis membutuhkan pimimpin kuat yang bijak dan adil Jadi, Prancis mengalami semua revolusi itu hanya untuk dipimpin oleh penguasa otoriter lain? Bukan begitu Kekuasaan baru Napoleon didapat dari konstitusi yang disetujui oleh suara terbanyak di Konsulat Ha! Konstitusi yang ditodong senjata Dan masyarakat menerima penguasa otoriter itu hanya karena mereka muak dengan perang saudara Bagimanapun, Napoleon mengenalkan konstisusi baru dan undang-undang yang memuat rapi hasil penting revolusi kebebasan beragama penghapusan hak istimewa bangsawan, persamaan derajat kaum pria di mata hukum benar, kaum pria Dia menyangkal hak kaum perempuan yang seharusnya diberikan dan bahkan memulai perbudakan lagi di negara koloni Prancis Haiti masih merasakan penderitaan akibat perbudakan berabad-abad setelahnya. Kesetaraan macam apa itu? Satu-satunya kebijakan yang mampu menstabilkan keadaan saat itu dan tetap jauh lebih maju dibandingkan negara tetangga. Bagaimana dengan semua invasi yang dilakukan? Pertanyaan bagus Yang mulia Invasi mana yang kita bicarakan? Negara tetanggalah yang menginvasi Prancis berusaha mengembalikan monarki dan mencegah meluasnya paham liberal di Eropa Dua kali saat Napoleon memimpin membela Prancis sebagai prajurit dan kemudian jendral dalam perang dia tahu cara bertahan terbaik adalah dengan menyerang. Menyerang seluruh daratan Eropa? Perdamaian tercapai di tahun 1802 Dan semua negara di Eropa mengakui Rezim Prancis Tapi Bonaparte tidak tenang sebelum mampu menguasai Eropa Dan cara yang dia tahu hanya perang Dia mencoba mendesak Eropa memblokade Inggris menginvasi setiap negara yang tidak patuh dan menciptakan banyak perang lagi demi tercapainya tujuan dan hasilnya? Banyak orang terbunuh di Eropa dan undang-undang yang dibuat hancur Anda lupa hasil lainya menyebarnya paham demokrasi dan liberal ke seluruh Eropa Terimakasih pada Napoleon telah mengubah Eropa dari kekacauan, pertikaian, dan kungkungan agama menjadi wilayah yang efektif, modern, dan sekuler. di mana rakyat mempunyai kekuasaan dan hak lebih banyak dari sebelumnya Haruskah kita berterimakasih juga untuk bangkitnya nasionalisme dan melonjaknya jumlah tentara? Kamu dapat melihat hasil baiknya seabad kemudian Jadi bagaimana sejarah Eropa tanpa Napoleon? Sangat lebih baik/lebih buruk Kekuatan Napoleon yang tak terhentikan selesai di salju musim dingin Rusia bersama sebagian besar prajuritnya namun setelah dihentikan dan diasingkan dia pantang menyerah dia kabur dari penjara dan berusaha keras mengembalikan kekuasaannya sebelum dikalahkan untuk kedua dan terahir kalinya Bonaparte adalah pemimpin kontroversional menjaga revolusi dengan menjadi pemimpin diktator menyebarkan paham liberal dengan memerangi banyak kerajaan dan meskipun dia tidak mampu meraih mimpinya menaklukan Eropa tidak dapat dipungkiri, dia meninggalkan jejaknya di sana, baik dan buruk.