Napoleon Bonaparte

Summary - Napoleon Bonaparte was a powerful force in Europe from 1799 to 1815. He rose from the ranks of the French army to become the emperor of France. By 1812 he had control of most of Europe. Unfortunately, he met his demise when he attempted to invade Russia. His downfall was almost as swift as his rise to power.


Blog Question - Describe Napoleon’s character and leadership style and discuss how Napoleon has had positive and/or negative effects on Europe using specific expamles and details.

Napoleon's character and leadership style was very bold especially in battle for he won great battles under very large odds. This effected Napoleon in positively because of all the tremendous battles he had won. It negatively effected him from all the enemies he made (Russia, England. etc.) and eventually he started losing critical battles like the entire invasion of Russia where he marched in but the clever strategizing of Alexander defeated him and his army of once 420,000 that marched in fell to only 10,000. Napoleon's boldness and greed for power eventually led to his downfall and defeat. He would even die an exile on the remote island of St. Helena, a hated enemy to most of Europe.

Latin American Revolutions

French Revolution

Summary - The French Revolution is defined as the political upheaval of world importance that began in France in 1789. Inspired by the success of the American Revolution, French citizens overthrew the noble, ruling class and establish a democratic government. The French monarchy under Louis XVI was viewed as oppressive and corrupt and the social structure was rigid, meaning it did not allow for social mobility which eventually forced the people to demand change.


Blog Question - Why was the French Revolution a significant movement in history and would you consider the French Revolution a success?

The French Revolution was a significant movement in history because it changed the entire's countries basis of power because of most people seeing a democracy instead of tyranny as the best way to run a country. This change gave ideas to other countries whose governments were still in question. The Revolution was a success because the French became more equal in social standards and justice became a more prime factor in government.

Enlightenment

Summary - The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement of the 18Th century characterized by belief in the power of human reason and questioning authority. Many enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau published their ideas on government.

How did the Enlightenment philosophers influence change in society?

The Enlightenment philosophers influenced change in society by their own certain philosophies. Even though all individual philosophers (ex. Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau) had different thoughts in each of their beliefs, they agreed enough for a core of beliefs to be created. These consisted of five main cores; Reason, Nature, Happiness, Progress, and Liberty. Because of so much influence from these philosophers, they were able to capture the attention of millions and change societies outlook on life especially in the social and religious aspects of society. For instance, Voltaire would fight for reason tolerance, and freedom of religion and speech. Even though this would give him many powerful enemies, he would not stop fighting for his beliefs. People took notice of philosophers like Voltaire and took notice of his beliefs. They started to live life in this way of reason and suddenly all of society and government would accept these core beliefs and eventually it would be regularly practiced by most of society.