Napoleon Debate

In our class debate I think we came to the conclusion that Napoleon was on the tyrannical side of the scale, but France needed a sovereign ruler to lead them through the wars and economic decline. Tomas made the point that France was much better under the leadership of Napoleon than the powerless Directory or another monarch. After the Reign of Terror the Directory was stuck with a war against Prussia and Austria and they didn’t even have the power to keep their own country in check. Tomas mentioned that the Romans used to have a sovereign emperor during war time, and Napoleon was the “wartime emperor” for France.

            Even though he was the best option, Napoleon’s reign was a setback for the French economy, freedom of speech/press, and rights. Napoleon believed in a “family monarchy” where the husband/father had final say in the household. He also forced all publications to only print propaganda. Although some of the battles he fought in were necessary, there were many that were ill-advised and not well thought out. It was a huge drain on the economy to pay for food and supplies for the troops.

            I learned a lot from this debate. Being on the “pro” side made me rationalize Napoleon’s actions and look at history from another point of view. It was interesting to see everyone’s perspective and the facts they used to convey it. All in all, I really enjoyed the Napoleon debate and I hope we have more class debates in the future

 -Kieran