People forget that though Napoleon was a disappointment (Beethoven removed his dedication of the 3rd Symphony to him, he could’ve been the great man of the people who fought and won for the people but rather he made himself emperor etc) he was still of the Revolution, he spread the idea of the Nation state through his conquest. In France people saw him as someone reverting some of the good the revolution brought, but in the rest of Europe he really *was* the revolution. The Polish anthem mentions him, his code is still used as law in many countries, and without him and his conquest the revolution and the idea of a nation would’ve never spread as much as it did.
Napoleon was almost one of the greatest people to have ever lived, his flaws don’t change that, they just add the almost. He was a disappointment, but he was still the greatest general of history, and though he did some bad things he also laid the foundation for so much good. The French revolution is what inspired more revolutions across the world, both in Europe and abroad, especially in the various colonies. Yes Haiti and the US did too, but France was the biggest inspiration in Europe and a big part of it in other regions of the world too, none of which would’ve happened without Napoleon
AbsurdistAspie420 on
Napoleon single handily restarted the Haitian Revolution by reestablishing slavery just to lose and solidify them as an independent state. I don’t desire to hate on Napoleon, I just really like the Haitian Revolution.
ZealousidealSteak214 on
I’ve said this before in your previous comment so let me say this again. The 1802 law did not abrogate the 1794 law but rather simply maintained slavery in places where the decree never went into effect either because the colonies were taken by the British or the governors there refused to implement the decree. No one was put back in chains as you cannot reenslave people who were never free to begin with. and the Haitian expedition was less about restoring slavery than it was about removing Louverture as his 1801 constitution threatened French control over Saint-Domingue.
And also Napoleon abolished slavery on Malta in 1798 and re-abolished slavery in 1815 during the Hundred Days. I think its apparent that he was not some pro-slavery fanatic and his actions in 1802 were born more out of pragmatism than an ideological commitment to slavery.
monkeygoneape on
*British Empire*: bet
VanTaxGoddess on
I can’t remember who said it but lots of countries ended legal chattel slavery in their domains. France is the only one that did it twice!
5 Comments
I’ll just copy my comment from the old post
People forget that though Napoleon was a disappointment (Beethoven removed his dedication of the 3rd Symphony to him, he could’ve been the great man of the people who fought and won for the people but rather he made himself emperor etc) he was still of the Revolution, he spread the idea of the Nation state through his conquest. In France people saw him as someone reverting some of the good the revolution brought, but in the rest of Europe he really *was* the revolution. The Polish anthem mentions him, his code is still used as law in many countries, and without him and his conquest the revolution and the idea of a nation would’ve never spread as much as it did.
Napoleon was almost one of the greatest people to have ever lived, his flaws don’t change that, they just add the almost. He was a disappointment, but he was still the greatest general of history, and though he did some bad things he also laid the foundation for so much good. The French revolution is what inspired more revolutions across the world, both in Europe and abroad, especially in the various colonies. Yes Haiti and the US did too, but France was the biggest inspiration in Europe and a big part of it in other regions of the world too, none of which would’ve happened without Napoleon
Napoleon single handily restarted the Haitian Revolution by reestablishing slavery just to lose and solidify them as an independent state. I don’t desire to hate on Napoleon, I just really like the Haitian Revolution.
I’ve said this before in your previous comment so let me say this again. The 1802 law did not abrogate the 1794 law but rather simply maintained slavery in places where the decree never went into effect either because the colonies were taken by the British or the governors there refused to implement the decree. No one was put back in chains as you cannot reenslave people who were never free to begin with. and the Haitian expedition was less about restoring slavery than it was about removing Louverture as his 1801 constitution threatened French control over Saint-Domingue.
Here’s a quote from Napoleon himself about it “my policy is to govern men the way most of them want to be governed. I finished the war in Vendée by making myself a Catholic; I established myself in Egypt by converting to Islam; I won minds in Italy by becoming a reactionary. If I governed the Jews, I would rebuild the Temple of Solomon. So I will speak of freedom in Saint-Domingue”.
And also Napoleon abolished slavery on Malta in 1798 and re-abolished slavery in 1815 during the Hundred Days. I think its apparent that he was not some pro-slavery fanatic and his actions in 1802 were born more out of pragmatism than an ideological commitment to slavery.
*British Empire*: bet
I can’t remember who said it but lots of countries ended legal chattel slavery in their domains. France is the only one that did it twice!