“Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.” This quote was once uttered by an myopic leader, Napoleon’s self interest played a larger role than his care for the nation, leading it to crash down upon him. Napoleon declared war on most nations in Europe, leading in millions upon millions of death. Not only did he make enemies around the world, he also made enemies within his own country. His code of conduct declared women subpar to men, and the years of hard work to achieve equality for woman were tossed out the window. Napoleon was not a friend but a foe to France, as he squandered resources and lives for war, crumbling the French empire from within and limiting the power of his citizens.
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This example became evident during his siege on Russia. Napoleon desperately wanted to be known as the greatest military leader in the world. He betted against himself by only preparing enough food for him and his people for 3 weeks. His supplies quickly ran out and was faced with a looming defeat. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced the cruel, frigid, Russian winter, loosing 5,000 soldiers every day due to hunger, suicide, and disease. Napoleon abandoned what remained of his army and raced back to Paris. His attack on Russia had dire consequences, loosing 400,000 men out of his 600,000 men army. After suffering a horrendous lose in Russia, the French finally had enough and handed Napoleon to the British as a prisoner. This ignorance was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. The reputation of Napoleon was severely shaken. As Napoleons army disassembled, his empire was in political chaos. This apparent military genius, instead of wisely appointing experienced leaders, appointed relatives as leaders for the nations he conquered. This caused an abundant amount of military leaders and citizens to be
This example became evident during his siege on Russia. Napoleon desperately wanted to be known as the greatest military leader in the world. He betted against himself by only preparing enough food for him and his people for 3 weeks. His supplies quickly ran out and was faced with a looming defeat. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced the cruel, frigid, Russian winter, loosing 5,000 soldiers every day due to hunger, suicide, and disease. Napoleon abandoned what remained of his army and raced back to Paris. His attack on Russia had dire consequences, loosing 400,000 men out of his 600,000 men army. After suffering a horrendous lose in Russia, the French finally had enough and handed Napoleon to the British as a prisoner. This ignorance was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. The reputation of Napoleon was severely shaken. As Napoleons army disassembled, his empire was in political chaos. This apparent military genius, instead of wisely appointing experienced leaders, appointed relatives as leaders for the nations he conquered. This caused an abundant amount of military leaders and citizens to be