Second, times make heroes, not heroes make times. The law of history shows that whenever there is a great change in society, it is an era in which heroes come forth in large numbers and great historical figures are bound to be created. Napoleon was great because of the French Revolution, a great event that shocked the world. Current events gave him an opportunity, and he did seize it. As Engels pointed out, "Napoleon, a Corsican, happened to be the military dictator needed by the French Republic exhausted by the war." Without Napoleon, his role would be played by another person. " Therefore, we must put him in the history of the French Revolution in order to better understand him.
Third, we must look at the mainstream and dominant aspects, and we cannot replace the whole with one side. Historical figures, especially great historical figures, have complicated life experiences. So it depends on whether he moves against the historical trend or conforms to the trend of the times in this great historical trend. Judging from the impact on society and the times, we can't look at the problem according to individual subjectivity.
Fourth, Napoleon commanded about 60 battles in his life, more than the sum of the famous military commanders Alexander, Hannibal and Caesar in history. The Napoleonic War, which lasted for about 20 years, mainly resisted foreign aggression in the early stage and national oppression in the later stage. However, the war has become obviously aggressive, with the nature of plundering other peoples and annexing other countries' territories, which has brought great disasters to the people of Europe and France.
In a word, the evaluation of Napoleon should put him in the history of the French Revolution and comprehensively examine all his activities. In this way, we can see that Napoleon, as a military strategist and politician of the emerging bourgeoisie, suppressed the rebellion, shattered the repeated armed interference of the "anti-French alliance" in Europe, disrupted the feudal order in Europe, promoted the awakening of people in various European countries, and stabilized the social achievements of the French Revolution. This is the main aspect of his activities and his main achievement. Of course, a great historical figure can't be perfect. Everyone has his shortcomings, mistakes or crimes. Napoleon, as a bourgeois strategist and politician, was even more so. Engels once pointed out: "Napoleon's biggest mistake was to marry the daughter of the Austrian emperor and form an alliance with the old counter-revolutionary dynasty." At the same time, it is pointed out that Napoleon's main mistake lies in "falling in front of orthodox principles"
Looking at all the activities in Napoleon's life, the activities he led played a certain role in the development of society and human history at that time, and he was a historical figure who should be affirmed.
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. At the Vienna Conference after Napoleon's defeat, the new European order and balance were quickly rebuilt.
Although Napoleon has been in power for decades, his achievements are short-lived. After his abdication, the territory of the French Republic 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 the 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.
Napoleon's birthplace, the statue of Napoleon in ajaccio, Corsica.
Napoleon brought glory to the French Republic, and the people of the French Republic have always loved this French soldier (interestingly, he always thought that the French Republic was not his motherland until 18 years old). 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 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland took the Crown Prince (later Edward VII) to the old disabled soldiers' hospital, and the queen asked the prince to "kneel at the grave of the great Napoleon".
The French Revolution was originally a national war, and it was indeed such a war. These wars are revolutions and alliances to defend the great revolution and oppose the counter-revolutionary monarchy. However, Napoleon established the French empire and enslaved Europe for many years, which has formed a vital national strength. The national war in France turned into an imperialist war, which in turn triggered a national liberation war against Napoleon's imperialism.