With the U.S. election nearing, it might be a good idea to review Napoleon and his nephew. They both got their positions by simply declaring themselves so. What if Donald Trump should just declare democracy at an end, the U.S. Constitution suspended, and himself as U.S. Emperor? Maybe God might have spared him from the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania so that he could be emperor.
Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica, which had been acquired by France. He was a military officer when the French Revolution began, in which the king and queen were overthrown and guillotined, although he wasn't directly involved in it. Wars began after the revolution and Napoleon's victories made him very popular at home.
He led a military expedition to Egypt and when he returned to France found the Directory, then the governing committee of the country, in disarray. Napoleon had great enthusiasm for the French Revolution but then betrayed it's ideals by using his popularity to seize absolute power. His seizure of power marked the end of the active phase of the French Revolution.
NAPOLEON REALLY CHANGED THE WORLD
Although Napoleon may be seen as betraying the ideals of the French Revolution by seizing absolute power from the chaos in it's aftermath, he did spread those ideals across Europe. The revolution is now considered as the beginning of the modern political era. One of the creations of the revolutionaries was the Metric System. Napoleon's enthusiasm for it is why the world is using it now.
This set a pattern that has been seen over and over again ever since. A king will be overthrown, in the hope of freedom, but what will emerge out of it is a powerful leader wearing a military uniform.
What must be remembered about America is that the king and queen of France were it's first allies, and that helped it to gain independence. The U.S. has always harbored resentment of the bloody revolution that overthrew and guillotined it's close allies. This is why it was so slow to accept the Metric System.
How many national leaders that are copies of Napoleon, according to the above pattern, has America been at odds with? Castro, Noriega, Gaddafi, Nasser, Saddam Hussein, Stalin, Hitler. But Napoleon did sell the Louisiana Purchase to America so he could concentrate on Europe. Charles De Gaulle was very reminiscent of Napoleon, except that he was tall.
Napoleon set the precedence for the modern dictator, although I don't think he was harsh or cruel by the standards of the Twentieth Century. What is interesting is that Napoleon wasn't born in France, he was born in Corsica, and this set the precedence for Germany to be ruled by Hitler, who was born in Austria, and Russia to be ruled by Stalin, who was born in Georgia.
His conquests, particularly the Battle of Austerlitz, brought the Holy Roman Empire to an end, which had existed for over a thousand years. The Arc de Triomphe is to commemorate the victory at Austerlitz. It could be considered as the tombstone of the Holy Roman Empire. This is my photo. The man in red had an instamatic camera and was offering to take photos of people in front of the arch, for a fee.
The smaller and earlier Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is also to commemorate Napoleon's victories. It forms an axis with the Arc de Triomphe. Image from Google Street View.
Nearby is La Madeleine. It is now a Catholic church but was originally a temple dedicated to the glory of Napoleon's army. Inside is a wall painting titled "The History of Christianity". It depicts Napoleon as a Christ-like figure ministering to the people. Images from Google Street View and Earth.
Napoleon must have been something special because his tomb is in a cathedral-like building that is one of the top attractions of Paris. Adolf Hitler made a special pilgrimage to visit Napoleon's tomb. His field of conquest ended up being almost identical to Napoleon's but Napoleon, unlike Hitler, actually captured Moscow. This is an enlargement of my photo showing the Tomb of Napoleon, as seen from the Eiffel Tower.
Napoleon had such charisma, and such a hold over his country, that, after finally being defeated and exiled on the island of Elba, not far from his native Corsica, he escaped from captivity and regained control of France. This is an absolutely amazing story.
Although the invasion of Russia would ultimately be a disaster could Napoleon have imagined that, just over a century later, there would be a revolution that would overthrow the Romanov tsars that would be virtually a mirror image of the French Revolution that ultimately resulted in him coming to power?
Napoleon was the catalyst that caused the many German-speaking states across central Europe to ultimately unite into one country. But the major new nation would upset the balance of power and engage in three major wars with Napoleon's France.
Napoleon's military expedition into Egypt was actually before he became leader of the country. It was what brought ancient Egypt into the world's consciousness. Through the Nineteenth and into the Twentieth Centuries there was a fascination with ancient Egypt across the world. His vast collection of art and artifacts, from his conquests, are what made the Louvre, formerly a royal palace, into possibly the greatest museums in the world.
The center of Paris is the Egyptian obelisk in Place Concorde. I positioned this photo to have the Eiffel Tower in the background. This obelisk is one of the three "Cleopatra's Needles", although they are from long before Cleopatra's time.
NAPOLEON III
Napoleon III, also known as Louis Napoleon, was the nephew of Napoleon, and his story is a branch of the story of Napoleon. He ended up being the first president of France. The monarchy was restored after the time of Napoleon, but it was finished for good by the wave of revolutions that swept Europe in 1848.
When his presidential term was over he simply scrapped the constitution and declared himself emperor of France. Someone with a name like Napoleon isn't going to be held back by some silly constitution. If Napoleon III was here today he could give Donald Trump a few tips.
But Napoleon III accomplished something as Emperor that it is doubtful could have been done as president. He completely renovated Paris. The grand boulevards that we see today were built. The old Paris wasn't quite removed altogether. Some of the old streets became alleys between the new streets. The renovation is considered as a resounding success and is the prototype for urban renewal across the world.
The centerpiece of the renovation of Paris was the Opera House. This is what the play "The Phantom of the Opera" is about. I have not been inside but it is stunning from the outside. Images from Google Street View and Earth.
Names associated with Napoleon are everywhere. The first street in Paris to be renovated was Rue de Rivoli, named for one of Napoleon's victories. Image from Google Street View.
Thanks to this renovation by Napoleon III Paris is now the most imitated city in the world. Cities everywhere try to be like Paris.
Every part of the world has it's imitation of Paris. Beirut is billed as "the Paris of the Middle East", Dakar as "the Paris of Africa", Hanoi as "the Paris of the East", Montreal of North America and Buenos Aires of South America.
Napoleon III had another great building project. He built the Suez Canal. Can we imagine the world without it? The relationship between east and west would have been completely different because ships would have to go all the way around Africa.
What is important to us right now, as the U.S. election nears, is that both Napoleon and his nephew got their positions by simply declaring themselves so. What if Donald Trump should follow?
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