Napoleon Bonaparte’s diary

The world we live in today is the product of the sacrifices of great and powerful leaders who went to great lengths to fulfill their passions and ambitions. Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered as one of history’s most powerful military figures and emperors. Napoleon, born in 1769, rose quickly through the ranks to become one of the world’s greatest military conquerors in modern history. He went out of his way, like all of the world’s greatest figures, to overcome all odds and win some of the greatest victories. As a French military official, he instituted important institutional and legal reforms to promote liberalism (Fahey 1). His impact on the remapping of Europe through his conquest battles is significant in the history of humanity. The paper aims at analyzing the convictions and achievements of Napoleon Bonaparte as documented in the Napoleon Diary.

Background Information and Analysis

Napoleon Diary by Napoleon Bonaparte is an account of the events that took place between the years 1796 and 1817. The Napoleon diary records messages directed to the soldiers during some Napoleon Bonaparte’s major conquest battles. Napoleon battles followed the French revolution implying that his major writing falls under the French romanticism that began in the mid-eighteenth century. The French Romanticism emerged as recognition of the rationality, enlightenment, and transformation realized following the industrial revolution. Artists of the French romanticism explored diverse topics and form of expression with a particular focus on intimacy, spirituality, color and yearning for the infinite. His work was compiled and published in Corsican in 1910.

The Napoleon diary contains some of the writer’s deepest convictions regarding the systems of governance, liberalism, and battle. His writings were done at a time when most of the European monarchies were diminishing and there lacked a good form of governance to replace them. Napoleon, I was a dictator but stood for noble reforms that promoted liberalism. His system of governance was described as enlightened despotism that sought to build socially progressive ideas. His writings not only demonstrate support for progressive policies but also portray him as a master strategist in the battlefield. Through the diary, it is possible to pick Napoleon’s convictions, ambitions and significant lessons in governance and leadership (Fahey 2). A large portion of the work is written in the first person

Cultural and Historical Context of the Work

Like many of the literature works that fall under the French romanticism, the style of the writer is not defined by the subject or the content chosen. Instead, it is the artist’s feelings that become the main focus of the literature or piece of art. In the Napoleon Diary, the author uses first person language to express his feelings concerning the different government systems and life as a member of the military. The author shares perhaps some of his deepest thoughts during or before a battle (Johnston 1). Like many of the writers of the French Romanticism movement, the author covers diverse topics including reforms, military, policies, and actions by other governments. In addition, the author focuses on spirituality which a core focus area in the French romanticism movement. The writer says, “To reign in France, one must be born great, have been seen in childhood in a palace, surrounded with guards, or else be a man capable of raising himself above all others.” (Johnston 1). In this statement, the author expresses his dissatisfaction with the hereditary and monarchical systems of governance in Europe where leadership was a privilege only for the nobilities.

Napoleon’s diary was not an ordinary journal entry meant to record historical events and achievements. Reading the diary, a reader directly connects with the sufferings and the events that Napoleon and the other soldiers experienced. In addition, the diary is an expression of the vices that were hidden within the exalted regimes. The diary not only highlighted the problems in the different forms of governance but also advocated for change. Ideally, the author intended to awaken the people so that they could pursue democracy and better policies from the reigning governments across Europe.

Conclusion

Napoleon Diary by Napoleon Bonaparte is an account of the events that took place between the years 1796 and 1817. The Napoleon diary records messages directed to the soldiers during some Napoleon Bonaparte’s major conquest battles. Napoleon battles followed the French revolution implying that his major writing falls under the French romanticism that began in the mid-eighteenth century. Born in the year 1769, Napoleon rose rapidly through the ranks and became the world’s greatest military conquerors in the history of humanity. Like many of the world’s greatest leaders, he went out of his way to beat all odds and achieve some of the greatest victories. As a French military leader, he introduced valuable administrative and legal reforms aimed at promoting liberalism. In the diary, the author not only highlights the problems in the different forms of governance but also advocates for change. The author intended to awaken the people so that they could pursue democracy and better policies from the reigning governments across Europe.

Works Cited

Denis, Fahey. An Irishman’s Diary on Napoleon and the Irish. (2015). Online

Johnston, Napoleon Bonaparte writings (1796-1817). (1910). Online < https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111napoleon.html>