The Rise of Napoleon

Napoleon may have been one of the shortest leaders in the history of the
world, but he probably left one of the biggest legacies in France. Napoleon
was a emperor who conquered part of Europe in the 19th century. Born on
the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military
during the French. The leadership of
Napoleon changed life in France for the better.

Rise To Power
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio. Napoleon
attended school in mainland France, where he learned the French language,
and went on to graduate from a French military academy in 1785. He then
became a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment of the French army.
When the French revolution happened in 1789, revolutionaries already had
started to overthrow governments and this was a good window for Napoleon
to take advantage of. The coup of 18/19 Brumaire in the Year VIII of the
republican calendar is generally taken to mark the end of the French
Revolution and the beginning of Napoleon Bonaparte's dictatorship. The
government was bankrupt, while inflation, taxation and unemployment were
soaring. The regime had lost control in much of the country, and there was
virtual civil war in some areas. After all this Napoleon rose to be a dictator
and ended the French revolution

The Reign of Napoleon

Napoleon was not well liked by other European leaders because many
of the changes he made threatened their countries stability. His reforms
made even the poor feel equal. He basically gave the people what they
wanted. That was one of the reasons he was liked in France. On the other
hand, Napoleon was not liked by his European counterparts. They where
worried that their civilians would look at France and all the equality and
either want to be a part of it or spark another revolution in their countries! In
1801 Napoleon signed the Concordat with the Pope. The Concordat officially
recognized Catholicism as the main religion of France but at the same time
gave religious freedom to those who were not Catholic. Also he put the max
price on foods like bread and flour to make sure that people are not hungry
so they would like him more and be less likely to revolt.

The Downfall
The downfall of Napoleon started when Russia resigned from the
continental system. Napoleon marched a army into Russia and rather than
engaging the French in a full-scale battle, the Russians adopted a strategy of
retreating whenever Napoleons forces attempted to attack. As a result,
Napoleons troops trekked deeper into Russia despite being ill-prepared for

an extended campaign. In September, both sides suffered heavy casualties

in the indecisive Battle of Borodino. Eventually with all this war Napoleon
lead France into debt and he continued to build lavish palaces and all those
materialistic things that France didnt need so they forced him out of power
on June 22, 1815. After this France exiled him to the remote and the reign of
Napoleon was over.