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.
Nakon izbijanja Francuske revolucije 1789, Evropom je zavladao haos. Monarsi susednih država su strahovali da će da dožive sudbinu Luja XVI, te su napadali novu republiku, dok su kod kuće, ekstremizam i nepoverenje među frakcijama doveli do krvoprolića. U sred sveg ovog konflikta, pojavila se moćna figura i preuzela vladavinu Francuskom. Međutim, da li je on spasio ili je uništio revoluciju? "Mir, mir, ko je optuženi danas? Ne vidim nikoga." "Časni sude, ovo je Napoleon Bonaparta, tiranin koji je izvršio invaziju skoro čitave Evrope kako bi nadomestio svoje lične nesigurnosti zasnovane na visini." "Zapravo, Napoleon je bio bar prosečne visine u njegovo vreme. Predstava o tome da je bio nizak potiče samo iz britanske ratne propagande. I nije bio tiranin. Čuvao je mladu republiku da je ne unište evropske monarhije." "Rušenjem sopstvene vlade i uzimanjem vlasti za sebe?" "Časni sude, kao mlad i uspešan vojni zapovednik, Napoleon je u potpunosti podržavao Francusku revoluciju i njene ideale o slobodi, jednakosti i bratstvu. Međutim, revolucionari nisu bili sposobni da budu istinske vođe. Robespjer i Jakobinci koji su prvobitno došli na vlast su započeli vladavinu terora nad stanovništvom, svojim protivkatoličkim ekstremizmom i stalnim pogubljenjima svih koji se nisu slagali sa njima. A direktorijum koji ih je zamenio je bio nestabilna i nekompetentna oligarhija. Bio im je potreban snažan vođa koji bi vladao mudro i pravedno." "Dakle, Francuska je prošla kroz čitavu tu Revoluciju samo da bi završila sa još jednim svemoćnim vladarom?" "Ne baš. Napoleonova nova moć je poticala iz ustava koji je odobren glasovima naroda u konzulatu." "Ha! Ustav je praktično izdiktiran pod oružanom pretnjom u vojnom puču, a narod je jedino prihvatio tiranina jer je bio umoran od konstantnog građanskog rata." "Kako god, Napoleon je uveo novi ustav i pravni zakonik koji je očuvao netaknutim neka od najvažnijih dostignuća revolucije: slobodu religije, poništavanje naslednih privilegija i jednakost svih muškaraca pred zakonom." "Svih muškaraca, uistinu. Lišio je žene prava koje im je revolucija dala, čak je i ponovo uspostavio robovlasništvo u francuskim kolonijama. Haiti se i dalje, vekovima kasnije, oporavlja od posledica ovoga. Kakva je to jednakost?" "Jedina koja je u to vreme mogla da se održava stabilno, i dalje je bila daleko ispred francuskih suseda." "Kad smo već kod suseda, čemu sve one silne invazije?" "Sjajno pitanje, časni sude." "O kojim invazijama govorimo? Susedna carstva su napala Francusku, pokušavajući da vrate monarhiju i da spreče širenje slobode Evropom, dva puta pre Napoleonovog dolaska na vlast. Nakon što je odbranio Francusku kao vojnik i general u tim ratovima, znao je da je najbolja odbrana dobar napad." "Napad na čitav kontinent? Mir je učvršćen 1802, i druge evropske sile su priznale novi francuski režim. Međutim, Bonaparta nije mogao da miruje, ako nije kontrolisao čitav kontinent, a jedino je znao za rat. Pokušao je da učvrsti blokadu Britanije dužinom čitave Evrope, napao je svaku zemlju koja mu se nije povinovala i pokrenuo dodatne ratove da bi sačuvao osvojeno. A šta je rezultat toga? Milioni mrtvih širom čitavog kontinenta i uništenje celokupnog međunarodnog poretka." "Zaboravili ste drugi rezultat: širenje demokratije i liberalnih ideala širom Evrope. Zahvaljujući Napoleonu, kontinent je preoblikovan od haotično rasparčanih i izdeljenih feudalnih i religijskih teritorija u efikasne, moderne i sekularne nacionalne države u kojima su ljudi imali veću moć i veća prava nego ikad pre." "Da li da mu takođe zahvalimo za uspon nacionalizma i ogromnog uvećanja u brojnosti vojske? Sećate se šta je to urodilo vek kasnije." "Pa, kako bi izgledala evropska istorija da nije bilo Napoleona?" "Nezamislivo bolja/gora." Napoleonov, naizgled, nezaustavljiv prodor će da umre u zimskim snegovima Rusije, zajedno sa većim delom njegove armije. No, čak i nakon što je svrgnut i izgnan, odbio je da odustane, pobegao je iz zatvora i pokrenuo odvažan pokušaj u obnavljanju svog carstva pre nego što je poražen drugi, i poslednji put. Bonaparta je bio vladar pun protivrečnosti, branio je narodnu revoluciju nametanjem apsolutne diktature, a širio je liberalne ideale putem imperijalističkih ratova, i, iako nikada nije ostvario svoj san da osvoji Evropu, bez sumnje je ostavio trag na njoj, bilo dobar ili loš.