Napoleon Bonaparte The Man behind the Soldier Essay

Napoleon Bonaparte The Man behind the Soldier - Essay Example On the other side of the spectrum, there are people who believed that Napoleon was too harsh, heartless, very rigid, and greedy which led to his eventual downfall. Up to this day, Napoleon Bonaparte, his conquests, and his personal life are still alive in society through books including his biography which are studied in schools, through discussions and forums in schools, and through analysis of the courses of events in his life. There is great scrutiny as to factors or influences which contributed to Napoleon's style of leadership or to how he ran his empire. There is a mix of factors that contribute to a person's system of actions, reactions, and initiatives. Employing certain styles or strategies in any activity does not only take into account the present situation or the present environment, it is composed of a combination of personality, life experiences including childhood and adolescence, and predispositions acquired from exposure to the activities and personalities of family members and friends. This paper aims to conduct a discourse on the factors and influences of Napoleon's personal life to the way he ran his empire or to his ruling style. It will first present an introduction, followed by Napoleon's youth and his education. The third part is Napoleon's Marriage and Family then synthesis of the paper will be reflected in the Conclusion. The paper will not expound on the French revolution or on the battles or conquests of Napoleon, but it will only touch on brief segments of history to show the qualities of Napoleon in the different stages of his life. Events relating to military transitions of power and the chronology of Napoleons rise to power will not be points of focus. Instead, fragments of Napoleon's life history will be presented. Napoleon's Youth and Education Napoleon Bonaparte was born in the year 1789 on the 5th of August. He was born in Corsica in a time when France has just defeated Corsica. After Corsica's defeat under France, Corsica rebels fled to the mountains where they continued with their fight. Napoleon's father, Carlo however readily showed his support to French rule. This angered Napoleon and resented his father for forsaking his Corsican heritage. It also created in him an aversion for the French people. Napoleon's mother, Letizia was a plain and tough woman. She was hard on her children and physically punished them in order to teach them discipline and sacrifice. There were even times when Napoleon was sent to bed without supper as punishment. His innate sense of discipline, propriety and punishment systems in the course of his reign as Emperor could very well be the influence of his mother who imposed stringent rules on Napoleon and his siblings. Carlo, Napoleon's father became a Corsican parliament representative where he saw grandeur of the French court. He was able to acquire a scholarship for Napoleon to study at Brienne which was a private academy in France. In 1778, nine year-old Napoleon who could barely speak French went to France for the first time. He had a