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Jacob Carmody
Ms. Burke
Honors World History
February 16, 2017
Napoleon Bonaparte Historical Essay

During Napoleon Bonapartes time as ruler of France he acted as both a son to and traitor

to the French Revolution. At times Napoleon acted as a supporter of the Revolution, for he

helped further the education in France and acted as a clear and decisive ruler. At the same time,

however, Napoleon undermined the ideals the Revolution and acted violently towards others.

There is an abundance of evidence that proves Napoleon would act in order to preserve and

further the ideals of the Revolution and that he would also abuse his power and undermine what

the Revolution stood for.

There were many individuals who saw Bonaparte as a hero and supporter of the French

Revolution. One of these individuals was the philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Johann

Wolfgang von Goethe was a large advocate of Napoleon, and saw him as a brilliant and great

man who has helped France develop as a country. Goethe is even quoted as saying Napoleon

Bonaparte is enlightened by reason, always clear and decisive, and that he was a permanent

state of enlightenment, which is why his fate was more brilliant than the world has ever seen or

is likely to see after him. So, it is seen that Napoleon certainly had his supporters who saw him

as a sort of savior or great leader that would lead the people of France to a better life. Also,

Napoleon is credited for opening many new schools that younger people were excite to go to

since they offered many branches that teach science, literature, and arts. Even though Napoleon

does not have the best reputation, he was still loved by many and considered as a supporter of the

French Revolution.
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While Napoleon Bonaparte did have his fair share of supporters like Goethe, he also had

a lot of people who disliked him and saw him as a traitor who undermined the ideals the

Revolution brought about. The colony of Haiti is a prime example as a group that saw him as a

monster and criminal. While Napoleon was trying to conquer much of Europe, there was a slave

rebellion developing in Haiti, which at the time was Frances slave colony in the Caribbean. In

order to crush the rebellion before it grew out of hand, Napoleons men used what are described

as outright genocidal tactics to end the rebellion. Napoleon had ordered the deaths of over 100

natives who were accused of not supporting France. The natives were locked in the hatchways of

the French ships where they were suffocated by the fumes of ignited sulfur, and then the corpses

were thrown overboard. Another person to be greatly against Napoleon was John Adams. He

said Napoleon was a terrible leader and that he hopes there is never another leader as horrible as

Napoleon, and if there is the they will most likely share his fate of being exiled.

Napoleons reign and the events of his men killing over 100 nations has some clear

connections to the September Massacres in 1792. Napoleons men used brutal tactics to kill over

100 Haitian natives who were no supporters of France. This parallels the September Massacre

because during the massacre French citizens stormed prisons that were holding priests and

nobles who did not support the revolution. The prisoners were then freed and taken to be

executed via guillotine. In both instances, people of France used violent methods to kill people

that did not support them. Both events were also seen by the outside world as horrible acts

against humanity that showed the violent nature of the French people.

Napoleon Bonaparte has had multiple opinions expressed about him by several people.

Some like Goethe viewed Napoleon as an honorable man that helped spread the ideals of the

enlightenment and bettered France as a whole. Then there were others like John Adams who saw
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Napoleon as a horrible man and a murdering tyrant. It is difficult to decide of Napoleon truly was

a son of the French Revolution or a traitor to the French Revolution due to the vast amount of

evidence that supports both sides. The decision is a matter of ones personal opinion of Napoleon

and his actions as ruler.