Napolean
Napoleon while by today's standards would be considered mostly as a menace to be stopped, in his own period was regarded as a hero of his time - the view of a hero in the early 1800's was very different to our own interpretations. Therefore one of the most significant aspects we should consider before settling on a fixed opinion is the spirit of the age Napoleon lived in. At this time the Romantic Movement was very much a part of European society and there was a lack of hero figures from European culture. The people of the 1800's saw Napoleon as a hero because they wanted to see a hero figure, looking for strength and valour in their leadership. There was
It was from this victory that he gained his promotion to Brigadier general. The reason that it was so important to the French was for the very nature of the people at the time. Napoleon represented this idea by giving the French something to be proud of. This decisive siege in 1793 saw the British ousted from mainland France, a victory that was the first time France had beaten the British military since 1066. The military victories were not empty either and as a result expanded France to the largest dimensions she had ever had and also made her the centre of a huge European Empire, again suggesting another reason as to why Napoleon was regarded as a hero. One of the key issues that granted Napoleon his early military fame was his defeat of the British at the Battle of Toulon. With this fame under his belt, there also came an essence of mystique and an idea of rolled up within the 'hero' package. It was merely occupied territory that the British military did not expect to keep and wasn't considered much of a loss. In military terms it was true that Napoleon was fulfilling this role by bringing glory to France. He had managed to give France what she had never experienced before - a string of military victories. While to the British this loss meant nothing, to the French people this was a truly significant victory that was needed in this period where national pride was lacking. This notable achievement also gave strong allusions to Napoleon emerging as a hero to the French people. Both Britain and France were nationalistic countries, very much emphasising a sense of pride in their nation, a notion soon to become adopted by other European countries. To the British, however Toulon was nothing more than a minor setback.
Common topics in this essay:
Britain France,
British Toulon,
Battle Toulon,
Movement European,
,
European Empire,
regarded hero,
people british,
british military,
military victories,
french people,
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