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Napoleon, a controversial name, was a military genius and statesman on a par with Caesar and Alexander, but was also criticized by later generations as a militaristic dictatorship tyrant and war dealer; he betrayed the Spirit of enlightenment in restoring slavery, but also made outstanding contributions to shaping modern France and even modern Europe. Why did the French people love and hate Napoleon? In addition to his military achievements, what other achievements did Napoleon achieve in politics, education, and justice? After more than forty victories in his lifetime, why did he finally lose Waterloo? Recently, Yang Lei, a French history teacher at Henan University, was a guest to ask about it, sharing with netizens about Napoleon's controversial life. This article is a selection of Q&A.
Napoleon
Oxford: With the same monarchy, how could the rest of Europe not tolerate the Napoleonic Empire? Britain, in particular, has developed capitalism and has established a constitutional monarchy, and it is said that it is more similar to the Napoleonic Empire than the rest of Europe, right?
Yang Lei: It is true that although the Napoleonic Empire and Britain at that time were both monarchies, there were many similarities in protecting the development of capitalism, but the differences in the system did not mean that there were no conflicts of interest between the two sides. The reason why Britain has organized seven anti-French alliances is more importantly due to the consideration of maintaining world hegemony and the policy of balance of power in Europe. The United European continental monarchies opposed the Napoleonic Empire mainly because Napoleon inherited the ideas of the French Revolution and caused concerns among European monarchs through foreign wars, for whom Napoleon both threatened the survival of their country and shook their feudal rule.
Bunny Rabbit: May I ask you, is Napoleon's view of the sleeping lion true and reliable? Why does he have this view?
Yang Lei: Napoleon had two words about China: "Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera." (When China awakens, the world will tremble.) The second is: "Ici repose un géant endormi, laissez le dormir, car quand il s'éveillera, il étonnera le mond." (There is a beast lying here, and let it sleep, for when it wakes up, it will shock the whole world.) According to Mr. Xu Minglong's research, this statement is a metaphor created by Chinese himself, and in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, Chinese students studying in Japan compared China to sleeping lions in order to oppose the corrupt Qing government and call for revolution. For specific research, please refer to Mr. Xu Minglong's article "The Truth and Falsity of Napoleon and China and Their "Chinese Sleeping Lions"".
Oxford: How did Napoleon view the Industrial Revolution that had begun at that time?
Yang Lei: During the napoleonic period, although the fruits of the British Industrial Revolution were introduced to France, the traditional production methods still dominated in France. In Villevière, for example, the introduction of English textile machines led to the prosperity of the woollen industry in the region, which became a famous industrial center in France at that time, with 86 factories and 25,000 workers in 1810. But in general, the fruits of the Industrial Revolution were of limited use in France, and spinning wheels in the cotton textile industry always existed, the Jenny spinning machine was introduced to France in 1806, wood casting was still used in metallurgy, and the steam engine was not introduced until 1807.
Jenny spinning machine
Oxford: Did Napoleon, a Corsican, think of himself as French since childhood?
Yang Lei: Corsica, where Napoleon was born, belonged to the Italian Republic of Genoa in the early 18th century, and later established an independent government in 1755 under the leadership of Poly, and Corsica was "transferred" to France by Genoa in 1768. Napoleon was born a year after Corsica was occupied by france, and Napoleon's parents were actively involved in the anti-French activities, so Napoleon hoped to liberate Corsica like Poly from an early age. He wrote to Pauli, who was in exile in London, on 12 June 1789, entitled "Determined to Work to Improve the Situation of the Inhabitants of Corsica", which began with the following words: "The day I was born is the time when our country is dying." Thirty thousand Frenchmen rushed up to our shores like a tidal wave, drowning the throne of freedom in rivers of blood. In the letter Napoleon stated that he identified Corsica as his homeland and the French as invaders.
Yuki_: Did Napoleon take the initiative to provoke the European countries to lead the war, which led to the formation of an anti-French alliance in other countries? What is the purpose of the war?
Yang Lei: The Anti-French Alliance existed before Napoleon came to power, and in 1792, Britain united with Austria, Spain, the Kingdom of Sardinia and other countries to form the first Anti-French Alliance. Before Napoleon launched the Misty Moon Coup, Britain united Austria, Tsarist Russia, and the Kingdom of Naples to form a second anti-French alliance. At first, Napoleon did not take the initiative to go to war with European countries, but constantly had to deal with the military threat of the anti-French alliance to France, and after Napoleon became emperor, he took the initiative to launch a war against European countries in order to expand his territory. Napoleon's declaration of war on the European countries was, on the one hand, a continuation of the foreign war in which the ideas of the French Revolution were spread in European countries, and on the other hand, under the influence of France's long-standing theory of natural boundaries (Danton had declared that France's natural boundaries had four directions: the Atlantic, the Rhine, the Pyrenees, and the Alps), and wanted to expand France's territory through war.
Berubi: What was the basis of the interests of the Coalition at that time? Why can it be repeatedly defeated?
Yang Lei: The conflict between the Anti-French League and France stems from the conflict between the French Revolution and the old European system, and the Anti-French Alliance seeks to maintain the privileged hierarchical autocracy in society, the absolute monarchy in politics, and the traditional border order in Europe. Since the Revolution, France has begun to expand to the "natural frontier", breaking the balance of power and traditional boundaries of the European continent, and spreading the progressive ideas of the French Revolution to the monarchical countries on the European continent, fundamentally shaking the foundation of the rule of these feudal and autocratic countries. The spread of the ideas of the French Revolution and the foreign wars were a threat to the stability of the regime and to the survival of the countries of the Anti-French League, which was the fundamental basis for their unity.
Sea and Sky: What is the proportion of nobles killed in battle in Napoleon's army, and what is the superiority of his army in the battle method of queuing up and shooting?
Yang Lei: The nobility in Napoleon's army was divided into two categories: the family nobles from the old regime and the new bourgeois nobles who were later canonized by the empire. Historian George Sicks once counted the social origins of 2248 generals from 1792 to 1814, of whom 632 were nobles of the old regime, of whom 214 had the title of nobility, and at least 305 generals of the Napoleonic Empire were nobles of the old regime, of which 90 were titled. More aristocratic generals under Napoleon were new aristocrats of bourgeois origin who were later enthroned, and it can be seen from the aristocratic composition of Napoleon's army that the proportion of true "family aristocrats" was only about 13%.
Napoleon absorbed the innovative achievements of French infantry tactics and artillery formations in the 18th century, adopted a large corps of divisions in military organization, and increased the use of free scattered troops and cavalry, Napoleon paid special attention to the firepower superiority of artillery in local battles, replaced the old dense front with mobile units, and increased the advantage of surprise attacks. When outnumbered, Napoleon would order the rear army to encircle the enemy and cut off the retreat. When the numbers were inferior, Napoleon would quickly reverse the numerically inferior queues, exclude scattered troops to scout and negotiate with the enemy, and hide the main force and reserves. When launching an offensive, attacking from both the front and the flanks at the same time, and when the enemy's front is divided, then concentrating the heavy cavalry and artillery of the reserve to quickly penetrate the enemy army, and at the same time sending light cavalry to pursue, this large-scale mobile corps has obvious flexibility in the era of queue operations, and can often form a situation in which the local area fights more and fights less, and wins more with less.
Cogito: Hello, could Napoleon gain a great advantage in Europe at that time by relying on battlefield command and army building?
Yang Lei: Hello! Napoleon made many achievements in army building, here is just one example, in the 18th century In Europe, the standard configuration of the armies of various countries was infantry regiments, consisting of one or two combat battalions and a supply battalion, and the cavalry regiment was similar, the disadvantage of this military establishment was that the army commander not only had to control many battalions and regiments in terms of strategy and operations, but also considered the problems of supply and communication, and commanding large-scale operations often led to chaotic deployment and poor communication. Napoleon inherited and carried forward the formation of the French combat division at the end of the 18th century, which increased the mobility and flexibility of the army. Napoleon introduced this formation on the basis of divisions, each army consisting of 2-3 infantry divisions, a cavalry brigade, and a divisional artillery unit. This made the army an independent combat unit with 20,000-30,000 people, and the army as a combat unit was not only able to fight independently, but also maintain mutual support, which allowed Napoleon to mobilize more troops in a short period of time to form a local advantage of more fighting and less when facing more enemies than himself, which was fully reflected in the Battle of Austerlitz.
Bunny Rabbit: May I ask you, why did Napoleon become emperor? Is it to maintain your own results? Is it selfish? Or is it some other reason?
Yang Lei: Hello! Napoleon claimed that in addition to the influence of his personal ambitions, napoleon was more due to the need to maintain the achievements and order of the French Revolution. After the Thermidorian coup, the main demands of the French have changed from the pursuit of freedom and equality to the pursuit of peace and stability, an end to the turmoil at home and abroad, and the establishment of a unified and powerful power above all else. Napoleon basically satisfied this demand of the French after the Coup d'état of the Misty Moon. But this stability was temporary, and the royalists and Jacobins in the country could break this stability at any time, and there were many assassinations of napoleons after Napoleon became the first ruler. The title of emperor is to maintain the existing order, establish the supreme authority and guarantee the personal rule and distribution of the solution, Napoleon through the emperor to maintain the achievements of the French Revolution, the establishment of the political, economic, social order under the rule of the bourgeoisie, at the same time the emperor also made the old nobles submit to Napoleon himself, Napoleon said that the aristocratic system established by the emperor absorbed a large number of old nobles, which are conducive to maintaining the order and stability of France.
Coronation of Napoleon I
Vivian: Why did Napoleon restore slavery?
Yang Lei: Napoleon's restoration of slavery was mainly due to economic and political considerations. In terms of economy, the French colonies of Santo Domingo (present-day Haiti), Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique and other colonies at that time had huge plantations and were an important source of revenue for the government. These plantations relied heavily on labor provided by the slave trade, and during the French Revolution, large-scale uprisings broke out in these areas, causing the French colonial trade to shrink sharply. At that time, the vast expanse of Louisiana was owned by France, and Napoleon needed a large amount of labor to develop this area, and the slave trade was an important source. Politically, Napoleon wanted to win the support of the french elite in the colonies by restoring slavery, which could legally protect the property of colonial rulers, ensure the stability of the colonies, and provide Napoleon with a stable source of income. It is worth mentioning that Napoleon's restoration of slavery was mainly concentrated in martinique, St. Lucy, and Tobago, which Britain returned to France in the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
Zi Fei Fish: Did Napoleon's influence spread to Asia and Africa at that time? Or is it limited to Europe?
Yang Lei: Napoleon's influence at that time was not limited to Europe, but also had a wide influence in Asia. During Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, the principles of freedom, equality, fraternity, etc. of the French Revolution were widely propagated in Arabic, calling on all Jews in Asia and Africa to unite under his banner to restore ancient Jerusalem. The Napoleonic Empire also fought a rivalry with the British in India, with Napoleon sending Pierre Gulière Perón to the Marata Alliance to support and agitate Maratha against the British and the East India Company, and to provide military advisers to train the Maratha army, an action that led to the Second Anglo-Maratha Alliance War. The war ended in the defeat of the Marata Alliance, which accelerated the pace of British unification of India. Interestingly, it was in this war that the Duke of Wellington, who later defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, rose to prominence and subsequently became commander in the Peninsular War.
Surging netizens: It seems that Macron's commemoration of Napoleon this time has also caused a lot of controversy. The French love him understandably, why do so many people hate him?
Yang Lei: In today's France, Macron's commemoration of Napoleon has three main factors that have caused controversy. First, Napoleon reinstated slavery in 1802, and this year coincides with the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Taubira Law, which the French government recognized as a violation of humanity for slavery and the slave trade. Under the influence of the "black life is also life" movement, the minority in France was also quite dissatisfied with some of Napoleon's "white supremacy" remarks and the suppression of black uprisings. Second, napoleon abolished in the Civil Code the freedoms women had won in the early years of the French Revolution, and the inability of married women to study, travel and contract without their husbands' permission was also unacceptable to those who advocated equality between men and women. Third, Napoleon's foreign wars caused millions of casualties, and to some pacifists, Napoleon was more of a war maniac.
The Paper: If you were asked to recommend a biography of Napoleon, which one would you recommend?
Yang Lei: Andrew Roberts' Napoleon the Great, a book that won the 2014 Napoleon Foundation Jury Prize, has traveled almost everywhere Napoleon has been in his life to write this biography, and the information is very informative.
Napoleon the Great
The Surging Netizen: How is the historical evaluation of Napoleon and Hitler diametrically opposed?
Yang Lei: Although they all tried to dominate Europe and reaped the same results, Hitler's purpose was to enslave other peoples, and Hitler committed genocidal crimes against humanity.
Editor-in-Charge: Yu Shujuan
Proofreader: Yan Zhang