Reflection Essay on Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte “The human race is governed by its imagination. ”(Napoleon Bonaparte)is This quote by Napoleon shows how he believed that government should be made by the voice of the people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a great leader of war for France, and ruled as a democratic reformer. Ever since he was a kid, Napoleon had great leadership skills, and a love for the military. He was an excellent student, and he studied the tactics of previous rulers. Napoleon led many great battles and won most of them by changing the style of the army.
His new tactics, leadership skills, and many conquests led him to be praised by many people. This resulted to him being appointed Consul of the French Republic and gaining political power. Napoleon Bonaparte was a democratic reformer because he granted people rights based on the ideas of the French Revolution, understood the importance of civilians, and his people viewed him as a great ruler. Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruler who granted many rights and freedoms to his people. Many of his rights were based on the French Revolution such as the idea of equality.
He believed that all people should be treated fairly no matter who they are. This is shown in document four, “No one should get special treatment based on birth or fortune, and this system of equality is the reason that your English monarchy hates me so much”. Napoleon also believed that improving education was very important, and that it would help bring their country forward. This belief is shown in document two, “Of all our institutions public education is the most important. Everything depends on it, the present and the future”.

He also granted religious freedom, abolished serfdom, and respected his people. All of these freedoms are freedoms that a democratic reformer would certainly give to his people. Napoleon Bonaparte was a man who loved his country and his people which he showed by giving them many rights and freedoms. Napoleon was a man who believed in his people and understood them. He mainly gave his people equality because he understood how important it was throughout his life, especially his childhood. This is shown in document two, “Before I became a ruler, I was a subject, and before that I was a student.
I can never forget how powerfully the sentiment of equality influenced my mind and excited my heart”. He told his civilians that he once was one of them, and he knows how tough life can get. Document four shows how he believes he can make their lives better, “I have always been of the opinion that the sovereignty should lay with the people”. A democratic reformer would let his people have a say in their government which is exactly what Napoleon did. He wanted the best possible for his people. Unlike an absolute monarch, he listened to what the people had to say, and he based the laws on them.
Napoleon Bonaparte was an understanding person who helped the voice of the people be heard. Not only did Napoleon do such great things, but his people admired and praised him as a ruler. Christians believed that God had placed him on Earth to rule as their own benefit. This is shown in document ten, “God, who has created… by loading our emperor with gifts both in peace and war, established him as our sovereign and made him the agent of his power and his image on earth. ” Many of his people respected him, and they were able to list many positive things about Napoleon’s contribution to them.
This is shown in document ten, “Napoleon, our emperor, love, respect, obedience, fidelty, military service, and the taxes levied for the preservation and defense of the empire and of his throne”. Such praise for Napoleon by his people clearly shows that what he does is for them which is a trait of a democratic reformer. His ways to connect and make his citizens happy definitely affected the way his people think about him. Napoleon Bonaparte’s rights and ideas based on the French Revolution, a strong understanding of his people, and his people praising him as a great person all lead to the conclusion that he was a democratic reformer.
It is very important to know what his views on government were and how they resulted because we can relate it to governments of today. People can compare how certain rights given to people can better their view on their government. Additionally, it is a way to compare and contrast Napoleon and his ideas to present day government officials. With all of this information, people can make many connections to present day government to other’s such as Napoleon’s. Overall, Napoleon Bonaparte was a great democratic reformer of the past of France.