French Revolution and Napoleon
Napoleon and the French Revolution:
How the Leader both Continued and Broke from the Aims of his Revolutionary Predecessors
The French Revolution was a singular event in human history. Its importance to humankind is undeniable. The Revolution was both remarkable and horrific, in its scopes and its realities. As Charles Dickens wisely stated,
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us […]. [1: Dickens, Charles. "The Period." A Tale of Two Cities. Ann Arbor: Borders Group, 2006. Print. ]
Thus, one can see there are many contradictions concerning the unfolding of events in the French Revolution, for it is a complex chain of historical events. There are also many opinions when discussing events that followed, especially when referring to the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. Some historians state that the leader broke from the aims of the Revolution, while others state that he continued the goals of his revolutionary predecessors. The period that this paper will attempt to analyze focuses on Napoleon's reign, and discusses how the leader both continued and broke from the aims of the French Revolution in...
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