Napoleon is a skilled military genius, a great enlightened ruler who changed French society and tried to improve the institutions of Europe and give the continent a common law. Before Napoleon came in power France had reached its lowest economical point with no sense of stability. France needed a strong, determined and powerful leader who would be able to give the France a sense of nationalism. Looking at Napoleon's achievements I have come to say that he never betrayed the French revolution but worked for his people, he worked extremely hard to get France where it is today.
He is responsible for the spreading of ideas of the French Revolution throughout Europe. This helped abolish the unfair system of feudal social structures. This helped France move away from absolutism towards a more liberal government. If it was not for Napoleon the system of feudal structure might still be very widely used today. Napoleon himself served as a symbol of a future where men could rise up to great heights based on personal determination and skill rather than birth and status. .
One of his greatest achievements was the Napoleon code which has survived and prospered to this day. It gave France its first written code of law. This law brought many reforms together into a single, combined legal system. It recognized that all men were equal before the law. It restored French education, re-established the Church, and tolerated many religions. Napoleon also opened careers in France to talented people, not caring if they were peasants or nobles, middle class or fanatic, as long as they served honestly and loyally. He also established the Legion of Honour as a system to recognize those who had served France in an extraordinary capacity, be they military or civilian. .
Napoleon has done everything that he has for the benefit of the French people. However, many may argue that Napoleon killed many lives meaninglessly. Between 1792 and 1815, France was almost constantly at war.
