Napoleon was Dynamite

Last week in Honors History, we learned about Napoleon Bonaparte by reading two different articles about him from people with different perspectives.  Napoleon definitely impacted the social, economical, and political systems of Europe, but many people disagree on whether his impact was beneficial or harmful.  One of the two articles we read was by Madame de Stael, who did not admire Napoleon at all, because she was wealthy, and he did what he could to help the poor.  She claimed that Napoleon viewed the intellectual riches of human nature as "the eternal enemies of the continent".  On the other hand, Marshal Michael Ney, a soldier of Napoleon's, looked up to him.  He calls Napoleon their "august emperor", and believes that Napoleon is a great leader of their beautiful country.

Madame de Stael vs. Marshal Michael Key on Napoleon

Whether or not Napoleon's impact was beneficial or harmful, he certainly left his mark on Europe forever.  Napoleon created a meritocracy, which was positive for the poor people because it created an equal playing field in politics.  The nobles and the church were not very happy about this because they had to obey the Napoleonic Code.  In the economy, Napoleon controlled prices, and encouraged the new industry.  He also established the Bank of France, and built roads and canals for trade.  At one point, about 2/3 of Europe was under Napoleon's French control, and he gave his citizens the right to own property and gave them access to education.  He also abolished serfdom and nobility, which made the poor happy and the rich angry.