Napoleon was a proud man in French history. Napoléon Bonaparte was born in August 1769 on Corsica Island in the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast of France. After the French Revolution broke out, the newly established French government was involved in the torrent of war with several foreign powers within a few years. He commanded the artillery troops to recover Toulon from the French and British armies in the siege of Toulon 1793, and became the youngest general at that time.
From 1796 to 1797, Napoleon won a series of brilliant victories in Italy, and then returned to Paris as a hero. At this time, the European anti-French alliance gradually formed, and Napoleon, who returned to France, was welcomed as the "savior". 165438+1October 9, Napoleon staged a coup in the foggy month and succeeded, becoming the first ruler of France, actually a dictator. 1800, Napoleon defeated the Austrian army again, and Britain had to sign a peace treaty with France, forcing the second anti-French alliance to fall apart. 1804165438+10.6, the constitutions of * * * and 12 were adopted by referendum, the French Republic was changed to the French Empire, and Napoléon Bonaparte was called Napoleon I, but he was crowned not by Pope pope pius vii, but by himself.
Napoleon carried out many major reforms in politics, legislation and economy. Among them, the most famous is the Code of Napoleon, which basically adopted the more rational principles put forward in the early days of the French Revolution and was formally implemented in 1804. The code is moderate, well organized and concise. Affirming the achievements of the French Revolution in the form of law. It is not only implemented in France, but also adopted by many other countries after some modifications. Even after more than a century, it is still the current law in France. Code plays an important role in the legislation of Germany, Spain, Switzerland and other countries. Far beyond the French border.
Napoleon was an excellent strategist. He personally participated in more than 60 battles in his life, and many battles he commanded are still of great significance in military history until today. However, his campaign broke the balance of power in Europe, leading other European powers to form anti-French alliances seven times, and finally defeated Napoleon completely. 18 15 June18 Napoleon's army was completely annihilated in the Battle of Waterloo, Belgium, and he formally surrendered on July15.
Although Napoleon was all-powerful for decades, his achievements were short-lived. After his abdication, the territory of France quickly returned to what it was before he took office. Napoleon's military career did not have a significant impact on later European history. The only thing that can make him go down in history is the Napoleonic Code, which is the embryonic form of legal systems in many modern democratic countries.
In addition, Napoleon was also the first person who put forward the idea of a United States of Europe and tried to realize it by force. Although he himself did not successfully realize this dream, today's Europe is moving towards the goal of integration.
At noon on February 2nd, 65438+2200 years ago, in Notre Dame de Paris, where countless French emperors made contributions, Napoleon wore a purple velvet dress with silver ferret skin,/kloc-the sword used by Charles the Great when he ascended the throne 0/000 years ago. He was crowned as gold and became an emperor determined to rule Europe, not just the king who controlled France. This year, Napoleon was 35 years old. In order to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's accession to the throne, various commemorative exhibitions, seminars and new publications on Napoleon have sprung up in France. A number of beautifully bound and expensive commemorative albums also flooded into the market around 65438+February, among which an album containing 40 paintings recording the details of the ceremony of the accession to the throne sold for as much as 12000 euros, or about 12000 yuan. Different from the active cultural market, the French government has shown a low profile different from the surrounding atmosphere. When people flocked to visit large and small cultural exhibitions held by the people, the French government did not hold any official celebrations. Even in the French media, there is an atmosphere of doubt and criticism about this legendary figure. The huge oil painting hanging on the wall of the Louvre, 6 meters high and nearly 10 meters wide, helps people imagine the luxurious scene and majestic atmosphere when Napoleon ascended the throne. This painting was authorized by the famous painter Edgeworth Beresford David at that time, and it took four years from conception to completion. Napoleon, with his back to the Pope and a crown on his head, crowned his wife Josephine who knelt before him. The people in the background on both sides are famous guests and ambassadors invited by Napoleon from all over Europe. European academic circles, media and rulers have different interpretations of this indelible picture in French history. France's Focus magazine compared Napoleon, who held the enthronement ceremony, with the dictator in Central Africa, and thought the luxurious ceremony was a kind of "boring behavior". Because it reminds people of the painful price paid by young French soldiers following this war hero around-400,000 French soldiers crossed the Russian border, and only18,000 people survived; There are 300,000 French troops who have fallen on the Spanish battlefield; In Leipzig, Germany, in just three days of "people's war" (with the anti-French alliance), 70,000 French soldiers were killed. German historian Fulkhurich believes that "Napoleon was a dictator who had no confidence in the legitimacy of his rule. All his political achievements are based on his military ability. Without those wars, he could not have achieved those military achievements. " "The current French government politically represents the thoughts of the * * * faction during the French Revolution. They believe that Napoleon's restoration of the monarchy and the establishment of a dictatorship are a betrayal of the spirit of freedom and equality in the revolution and a compromise with the European church in order to satisfy his political ambitions. " Professor Gao Yi from the Department of History of Peking University said, "Based on this view, it is natural for the French government to keep a low profile in this commemorative event." Civil Code: Eternal Monument "For a long time, Napoleon has been envied and reviled by colleges, media and politicians. People must treat him as fairly as other historical figures. " Terry Lentz, president of the Napoleon Foundation in Paris, said. Che Varyl, director of Malmeisson Palace (Napoleon's former private residence) near Paris, agrees. He said, "People often only regard Napoleon as a hero or dictator on the battlefield. As for his contribution to the French Civil Code, the National Bank and school education, few people mentioned it. " March 2 1 This year is also the 200th anniversary of the official promulgation of the Napoleonic Code. /kloc-this code was compiled in 0/800 under the impetus of Napoleon, including civil law, civil procedure law, commercial law, criminal law and criminal procedure law. The thought of freedom, equality and natural rationality of the Great Revolution was laid in a detailed and understandable form, which laid the foundation for the legal system of modern civil society. The promulgation of this code not only solved the confusion of French legal system at that time, but also deeply influenced the legal systems of other European countries with the expansion of Napoleon's power. Even in Canada, Egypt, Bolivia and other countries outside Europe, the Napoleonic Code has been used as a blueprint for their own legislative reform. This 436-page code has gone through two emperors, three empires and four republics, and more than half of the legal provisions are still valid. "All the victories on the battlefield vanished with the defeat of Waterloo, but people will never forget my Civil Code." Napoleon told the author of "Memoirs of St. Helena" during his years of imprisonment in St. Helena. Father of Europe? According to a survey just conducted by French magazine le figaro, in the eyes of 39% of the French interviewed, Napoleon, who led an expedition to Russia and Egypt, was a "dictator" and thought that "everything he did was to satisfy his desire for power". Another 49% thought Napoleon was a "great politician". "Among the 39% critics, most of them should be people with higher education. For most common people, Napoleon is still a perfect national hero. On the contrary, there are many people with critical opinions in academia. " Professor Gao Yi explained, "The debate on Napoleon's evaluation has always existed, but it is only a problem that different opinions prevail in different periods." After the defeat of the Battle of Sedang (the decisive battle in the Franco-Prussian War), the Second Empire of Charles Louis Napolé on Bonaparte was shattered. However, with the outbreak of World War I, Napoleon once again became a myth as a warrior who defeated Prussia. "It was not until the 1960s that people realized that Napoleon was politically wrong." Berthart Chevalier, who studied Napoleon for many years and now manages Napoleon's private residence, said. "The debate mainly happened in academic circles. In fact, there is no reason to influence the French to regard Napoleon as a hero of their own nation. " Professor Gao Yi added. In any case, Napoleon, as a strategist and politician full of magic all his life, still has a large number of admirers. Since he died in a prison in St. Helena on 1822, more than 80,000 books have been published about him. More than 200 directors around the world have made films based on this legend from Corsica. Even in the library in Kathmandu, people can see Napoleon's head on the closet. "There is no greater man in the world than him." Former British Prime Minister Churchill once commented on Napoleon. According to a poll, Napoleon is still regarded by the French as one of the most important figures in French history except Charlemagne and Charles de Gaulle. "With his sword and code, Napoleon became the pioneer of modern Europe." French historian Jean Tourard recently emphasized in a speech that "Napoleon was the father of Europe".
Napoleon established the First Empire of France, which represented the interests of the French big bourgeoisie.
His domestic policy basically consolidated the achievements of the French Revolution, but also made some adjustments. For example, civil law, commercial law and criminal code have been formulated successively, and capitalist legislative norms have been established. The Napoleonic Code, which he ordered to compile, is the embryonic form of the legal system of many modern democratic countries. He also provided guarantees for small plots of land purchased by farmers during the revolutionary period; Reward the development of industry. So during the reign of Napoleon, French capitalism developed greatly. This is his credit.
His foreign war is complicated. Wherever the French army went, it drove away the feudal nobles and canceled the feudal obligations, which objectively played a progressive role. He defeated the anti-French alliance many times, prevented the restoration of Bourbon dynasty, defended the success of the French Revolution, and shook the feudal rule in continental Europe, with outstanding achievements. But he also fought for hegemony and aggression in Europe, which violated the independence of many European countries, plundered the people of all countries, provoked people's resistance and led to the crisis of collapse.
Engels and Lenin spoke highly of him from different angles: "He brought his code to the country he conquered, which is much superior to all previous codes." "For Germany, Napoleon was not an overbearing tyrant as his enemies said. He is the representative of the German revolution. "
Napoleon brought glory to France, and the French people have always loved this French soldier. After his body arrived in Paris on February 1840, 900,000 Parisians braved the cold to meet him. Years later, Napoleon also won the respect of his opponent. 1855, Queen Victoria of England took the Crown Prince to the old disabled soldier hospital. The Queen asked the Prince to "kneel at the grave of the great Napoleon".
Napoleon was all-powerful for decades, and his life was full of legends. On the whole, his contribution is even greater!