Destiny Crowned Napoleon

Napoleon once declared, “I did not usurp the crown; I found it in the gutter and the French people put it on my head.” The French people had indeed led him towards his coronation. Over a decade of the revolution had passed and the government that had ruled France proved to be unstable and incompetent. Napoleon, who was a natural leader and a beloved Frenchman, was welcomed into power. The people saw in him a promise of efficiency supported by his experience rather than the theoretical changes the revolutionaries provided. Naturally, Napoleon brought great reforms to France, altering both domestic and foreign policies. Napoleon’s rise to power and doctrine changed the course of history forever, in positive and negative ways, both domestically and internationally. Fate took Napoleon to the highest position of power in France, and due to his political and military ambition, the world was changed.

Part of destiny’s role in Napoleon’s rise to power was the weaknesses of the revolutionary government. In fact, the key to Napoleon’s rise was the failure of the French Revolution. The revolutionary governments that controlled France during a decade proved themselves to be unworthy of the power they held. Historian Micheal Rapport agrees that “Bonaparte’s ambition, his skill and his popularity cannot be dismissed as factors in his own rise, but more important were the failings of the Directory.” The French Revolution was characterized by terror, economic strife, crime, and political instability. Tens of thousands of French lives were unnecessarily taken during this time; if the guillotine didn’t decapitate someone, the person might have died of starvation. When Abbe Sieyes, a chief theorist of the revolution, was asked what he did during the revolution he answered, “I survived.” Even he, who was an advocate of reform, recognized the unending nightmare that the French Revolution had dreadfully become. Even though the revolutionary spirit still roamed in the hearts of the French, the people longed for some stability in the nation, for some good within the midst of chaos. And destiny drew Napoleon to lift the spirits of the French’s torn hearts. The hero the French longed for was born within the cannonades used to suppress the attempt of a royalist revolt at the National Convention in 1795. Napoleon’s actions inspired the French to love him; a love that would later escort him to his fate of becoming an emperor.

Basically, Napoleon was the right person in the right place at the right time. As the savior of the French Republic, the Directory granted him the command of the Army of Italy. During his military campaigns in Italy he commenced his experience as a ruler. His glorious triumphs in Italy attested his keen leadership and military skills. Napoleon’s command flummoxed the Directory; he had surpassed their expectations in Italy. He took over the whole region, scaring the Austrian forces into their own land. When he threatened to enter Vienna, the Austrians surrendered their war efforts and decided to succumb to French power through a peace treaty they had agreed upon. Due to the many occupations of the struggling Directory, generals such as Napoleon had the privilege of gaining power within their region. Napoleon thus controlled Italy for some period of time and “he had begun to govern, removing many features of Italy's archaic feudal system with modern laws that changed education, taxation and religion.” Napoleon reported his successes through a newspaper he had organized for his troops. Although his intention was not for them to be read in France, they were. The stories of his successes would come to be celebrated in Paris, fomenting the affection the French had for him. Subsequent to his period in Italy, he led his armies into Egypt. Despite the fact thst the Egyptian campaign was ultimately a failure, Napoleon still demonstrated his dexterity in ruling by finding the Rosetta Stone in his excursions around the nation, setting up Egypt’s first Postal Service and Health Department along other modernizations. Before he returned to France he had learned valuable lessons concerning how to rule a nation. To respect religion, create departments within the government, and to support modernization are among some of the virtues he came to value.

He finally rose to power when he returned to France and was invited to join a coup that was being organized by Abbe Sieyes and Roger Ducos. Again, fate made him the right person to be in Paris at the right time. The military coup was successful and he had become one of the three consuls in power. In 1800, when he held a plebiscite for the new constitution and the votes for the new constitution overwhelmed those against it, was when he actually rose to supreme power. This happened because the people of France had grown to love him and most importantly trust him. People came to love him so much that they prayed for his success: “We also owe him [Napoleon] fervent prayers for his safety and for the spiritual and temporal prosperity of the state.” His military and ruling experiences in Egypt and Italy made him the right person to lead the nation, and his return to France at the verge of a coup was the right time to be that person. Napoleon then knew he was destined to rule France, both because of the people’s desire for it and because he knew he had to take advantage of the opportunities life had handed him.

Regardless of his short time in power, Napoleon changed the course of history drastically. In the short-term, the results of his reign in France were excellent for domestic life. Napoleon helped restore peace in political, economic and social aspects of his nation’s society. He improved politics by dismissing corrupt officials and creating a system of laws known as the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code prevented injustices from occurring but at the same time limited some of the freedoms of the people. He was also great for France because he restored the country’s economy. He reformed the tax system, established a national banking system, and appointed tax collectors to avoid evasion of taxes. Another essential decision he made while ruling France concerned two important social aspects: religion and education. Napoleon settled on a concordat with Pope Pius VII in order to restore Catholicism in France, this contented thousands of devout Catholics who weren’t allowed to worship at churches. Napoleon also founded lycees , these were government run public schools intended for male citizens to be educated properly despite their social class. Napoleon Bonaparte refurbished and improved French society substantially in the short term. Durant, author of The Age of Napoleon, concurs that "Napoleon was a progressive force, establishing political stability, restoring morality... modernizing... codifying law... ending or mitigating feudalism... establishing schools, beautifying cities... encouraging science... Helped by his prodding, Europe advanced half a century during the fifteen years of his rule." Unfortunately, in the long term, France was hurt by his rule. Napoleon’s empire motivated monarchs to form the Congress of Vienna, in which monarchy was returned to France. Charles X, France’s future monarch , was a reactionary; he hurt France a lot by eliminating crucial liberalisms such as the constitution.
Despite some of his success in his nation, outside of France the results of Napoleon’s rule were controversial. The grand emperor committed several mistakes in Europe and in the Americas. In the Americas, Napoleon committed two mistakes for his empire: he sold the Louisiana Territory and he gave up on Saint Domengue when the rebels took control of it. In the long run, these two decisions did not benefit France at all, they lost a lot of land and riches. Instead, this decision of Napoleon’s was splendid for the United States, who gained vast territories, and Saint Domengue which would later become the independent nation of Haiti. Napoleon’s period in power changed Europe completely. In the short term, the Napoleonic Wars cost thousands of European lives. In the long term, it would do just as much harm as this, if not more. As stated before, Napoleon’s empire inspired the Congress of Vienna to be held with the purpose of restoring monarchies in Europe, containing revolutions, and diminishing France’s power. Nonetheless, because monarchies were reinstated and revolutionary ideas were still dominant in the nationalistic peoples of Europe, clashes between the rulers and the people continued to disrupt the peacefulness of domestic lives. Secret societies in Poland and Germany became a threat to government stability and was rigorously fought. The fear of France’s power after Napoleon also caused the Germanic states to join into the German Confederation and the Austrian Netherlands to combine with the Dutch Republic as to increase their powers in case of a threat a France could possibly pose.

As to conclude, there are no better words to describe the reasons why Napoleon rose to power or what the results of his reign were than his own, “Destiny called upon me to change the face of the world”. Napoleon’s destiny was to become the emperor of France. He became a French hero when the people most needed one. Through his successes and a little bit of chance, he happened to be at the right place at the right time, resulting in his rise to power. Once he had this power, Napoleon definitely changed the face of the world, from the expansion of America to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.









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Clarisse McClellan, the Trigger

Clarisse McClellan, a ‘crazy seventeen year old’ girl from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, is a vital character in developing the book’s main themes. Even though Clarisse’s presence in Montag’s life (the main character) is brief, her wonderful sappiness would drastically change Montag’s perspective of the world. Clarisse motivated Montag to see and think beyond society, inspiring in him feelings that would affect the course of actions he would then take. Clarisse McClellan’s liveliness and happiness represents the love of life that her society lacks. Her passion for living advocates for knowledge, emotion, and freedom of expression against censorship, all themes she helps develop through the influence she had on Guy Montag.
Being a distinguished member of such an ignorant community, Clarisse appreciates small details around her. As Clarisse parades her unique personality to Montag, she subconsciously inspires him to see the beauty in life as she does. At first, Montag sees Clarisse as a peculiar female with inimitable character. However, by spending more time with her, he comes to welcome her eccentric and schmaltzy character. To Montag, Clarisse is somewhat opposite of the society, as he spends time with her he appreciates aspects of life absent in his society. What is Montag’s society against and a key part of his life? Book reading. Through Clarisse, Montag develops an intriguing interest in books and knowledge. This increasing interest propels Guy to read and act against book burning. His fascination in literature assists him to distinguish the difference between the richness in books written in previous generations in contrast to the dullness and ignorance of the society he lives in. Knowledge versus ignorance, a theme of the book, is present due to Clarisse’s distinction from society reflecting on fireman Guy Montag.

Even today, the world lacks of people who look at the little details in life. Having Clarisse as a neighbor who collects bugs and flavors the succulent rain would make anyone adore life more than they already did. Clarisse’s loving personality produces Montag’s new surge of emotion. She unveiled the sentiment in Montag by making comments such as: “People don’t talk about anything. . . . They name a lot of cars or clothes or swimming pools mostly and say how swell! But they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else.” The inertness of society now stands out in Montag’s eyes because he now feels passion and interest as opposed to being satisfied by simple pleasures. Montag then demonstrates another theme of the book, emotion versus dullness. This theme is extraordinarily displayed when Montag reads “Dover Beach” to Mildred and her lifeless friends Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles. Montag lets emotion out of his spirit by expressing himself to boring women who underestimate and fear freedom of expression. Clarisse unintentionally gave Guy the desire to feel. She made Montag’s mind swirl with emotion ever since she asks him, “Are you happy?”
Though Clarisse’s appearance is brief, she indirectly points out censorship to Montag. She tells Montag about how school lacks real content, education or interaction as well as how she is considered anti-social when everyone else is so fast-paced and impersonal… All these minute details cause Montag to realize how censored society really is. Clarisse freely expresses her emotions to Montag as a book would; they both share unique qualities which are not accepted in Guy’s society. This symbolic similarity between Clarisse and books causes Montag to question the burning of books. He fears that burning books is like Clarisse’s death, a sudden end to beauty. Once Montag grows lucid and realizes how oppressive and hedonistic his society is, he decides to fight on behalf of the oppressed, on behalf of the books. Clarisse makes Montag a soldier against book banning and censorship of education, books, and philosophy.
Clarisse’s love of life sparks Montag’s motivation to learn, to challenge society, to be captivated by emotion and act against censorship and ignorance. Clarisse might not have survived to see Montag change, but what she said and did inspired Montag to love life and challenge a lifeless society. Clarisse triggered Montag to be knowledgeable, alive and a threat to censorship.

Afghanistan versus Soviet Union: America Prevails

During the 1980’s Afghans surprisingly overcame the Soviet Union invasion; however the fate of Afghanistan would have been a gloomy one if not for American assistance. During the late 70’s, the Americans notice a marvelous opportunity to weaken the Soviet Union, and to help the Afghans. This happened when Afghanistan’s communist party came to power and would ask for the Soviets’ help to contain the rebellious movements of the mujahedeen. The Americans would not permit the Soviets to take control of Afghanistan. The determination to cause a Soviet defeat in Afghanistan motivated US government officials to act astutely and swiftly. Due to their covert operations successes, the United States was able to achieve their goals. Even though the local mujahedeen pushed the Soviets back to their own side of the border, the support of the Americans must be credited for the Afghans’ victory. The Americans were the real victors in the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
It all started in the late 70’s, these were years of turmoil in Afghan soil; when the communist party took control of the government and the US’s eyes opened. The United States predicted the Soviets would want to invade in order to prevent revolt against the communist government. This was seen as a perfect opportunity by the Americans to take action in the Middle Eastern country. The American government saw the chance of decreasing the Soviets overwhelming power, contain communism, and help the Afghans, goals that would be worked towards. The motivation to be involved in this possible war led to immediate action escorted by the Jimmy Carter administration. Thus, even before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the Americans had organized secret aid for Afghan rebels, and “knowingly increased the probability that they [the Soviets] would” invade Afghanistan (globalresearch.com). Operation Cyclone, the name given to this covert CIA operation, proved effective in 1979’s Christmas Eve, the day Afghanistan was invaded. However, this invasion would not be a walk in the park for anyone involved.
Nonetheless, hearty determination from distinguished individuals in the United States made the whole movement occur. American involvement was vigorously supported by many lawmakers and government officials, such as Charlie Wilson, whose efforts were dedicated to Afghanistan prevailing in this Vietnam-like-war. Former Congressman Charlie Wilson (Texan Democrat) witnessed the atrocities the Soviets had caused the people of Afghanistan when visiting Pakistani aid camps; this made him a noticeable advocate of the Afghans as well as a fierce Anti-Communist. He was extremely influential in Congress; in less than a decade he increased the CIA’s budget “from a few million dollars… to about $750 million”, he also helped convince the Egyptian and Israeli governments in supplying the mujahedeen with modern weaponry that the United States would pay for (Johnson). American advocates opened the doors of victory for the Afghans and closed the doors of USSR optimum efficiency.
As a result, American’s efforts were obviously paid off. Through this movement sponsored by the CIA and financed by Congress, weapons such as AK-47’s and Stinger Missile Systems reached the hands of Afghans fighting for their nation. Hundreds of thousands of weapons were given to the mujahedeen regime and thousands of members of this group were trained for combat. These American-provided mechanisms and training enabled the mujahedeen to overcome the Soviet invasion. The Red Army was effectively defeated, resulting in their retreat on February 15, 1989.
The USSR was also affected greatly by its failure. It lost fifteen thousand troops, but the true damage done was in the degradation of its image, and the billions of dollars it spent during the war. This fall from invincibility and vast expenditure of money to finance the invasion in part caused the USSR to fall apart in the early 1990s (Zhang and Jacobs).
Not only was the USSR put in debt due to the invasion, it was weakened to such an extent that it would dissolve around a decade after the war. The war also made Russians question the efficacy of a Red Army, their imperialistic government. These ideas were motivated by the accounts of the scarred war veterans, and propagated by the media. It is not enough to say that the US promoted the defeat of the Soviets, it undeniably caused it.
Overall, with the right motivation, ardent determination, and precise execution, America’s mission to ensure the mujahedeen’s triumph succeeded. Operation Cyclone was not only ingenious; it was also the largest covert CIA operation in US history. The US’s effort caused the Soviet Invasion to be costly, unproductive, and unwise. Communism was contained, the Soviets were taken out of Afghanistan and the Afghans were liberated war. The American’s victory in this war was one worthy of celebration, given that not one drop of American blood was spilled, neither civilian nor military. All goals that the United States of America wanted to achieve in this war were surpassed, but most importantly, its efforts lead to an Afghan victory. America prevails.


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