Thesis

Does history repeat itself because people become power hungry? In
the years from 58 B.C. to 1821 A.D., two infamous generals led armies to
great success, yet met with similar fates. It is my belief that through the
use of similar tactics, one general fell victim to a fate shared by another,
earlier general. Could this fate have been avoided, if he'd carefully
studied his predecessor's mistakes?

Introduction:

There have been several great military geniuses to come from Europe.
Edward Rommel won a lot of victories against the British in World War II
primarily because he didn't have awful teeth, and he spoke German.
Alexander the Great wasn't called Great just because he encouraged people
to call him that, he was actually great warrior on the field of battle…and
he was well over 6 feet tall. And Hannibal showed us that elephants
couldn't fly, but they could clirab mountains. Unfortunately, none of these
men were as successful as Julius Caesar, and France's own mighty giant
Napoleon Bonaparte. Well, maybe they were…I don't know, I was only covering
Caesar and Napoleon.
Napoleon Bonaparte's success as a military leader and conqueror can
clearly be seen in Julius Caesar. Caesar achieved great glory by bringing
his country out of turmoil, as did Napoleon. Looking to the past, Napoleon
knew what steps to take in order to achieve success. Napoleon devoured
books on the art of war. Volume after volume of military theory was read,
analyzed and criticized. He studied the campaigns of history's most famous
commanders, but his favorite, and the most influential on his strategies,
was none other than Julius Caesar . It was Caesar that Napoleon modeled
himself after the most. He wanted to be as great, if not greater than,
Caesar. But he'd never get taller than Caesar.
Julius Caesar was the Roman leader who changed the course of
history for the Greco - Roman world. Caesar was able to create the Roman
Empire because of his strength in war strategies . Julius Caesar was to
become one of the greatest generals ever to rise from Europe, conquering
the whole of Gaul. In 58 B.C., Caesar became governor and military
commander of Gaul, which included modern France, Belgium, and portions of
Switzerland, Holland, and Germany west of the Rhine. For the next eight
years, Caesar led military campaigns involving both the Roman legions and
tribes in Gaul who were often competing among themselves. Julius Caesar was
a Roman general and statesman whose dictatorship was pivotal in Rome's
transition from republic to empire . He could also make a mean salad.
Caesar's principles were to keep his forces united; to strike
speedily at critical points; to be vulnerable at no point; to rely on moral
factors, such as his reputation and the fear he inspired; and political
means in order to insure the loyalty of his allies and the submissiveness
of the conquered nations. He made use of every possible opportunity to
increase his chances of victory on the battlefield and, in order to
accomplish this, he needed unity of all his troops . And maybe a good salad
to feed them.
Beginning at the time that he first faced battle in Gaul and
discovered his own military genius, Caesar was fascinated and obsessed by
military and imperial problems. He gave them an absolute priority over the
more delicate, but no less fundamental task, of revising the Roman
constitution. There was a need in the latter for a solution; this solution
would introduce such elements of authoritarianism, which were necessary to
check corruption and administrative weakness .
The story of all his battles and wars has been preserved in
Caesar's written account, Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, originally
published in 50 B.C. For this period, Caesar is the only existent source
providing first-hand descriptions of Britain. While no doubt self-serving
when written, Caesar's account is nevertheless regarded as accurate and
historically reliable . Caesar was appointed dictator for a year starting
in 49 B.C., for two years in 48 B.C., for ten years in 46 B.C. and finally
dictator for life in 44 B.C. Taking over as Dictator for Life enabled
Caesar to gain unrestricted power. He was able to run a strong military,
and even though he was considered a dictator, he wrote laws that actually
made him have the same powers as a king. But there were those who found his
arabitions to have absolute power too much; the Senators decided that they
had had enough. They planned the murder of Caesar on the Ides of March.
Caesar was killed and there was another triumvirate formed. Caesar was a
str ong military leader that had showed strength and courage to take over
the town and he was able to form a civilization that was strong militarily
and politically .
Caesar was one of the great generals of history; his name became
synonymous with leadership, hence the titles Kaiser, Tsar, Czar, and
Czarina. Later rulers of Rome were referred to as "Caesar" in honor of him.
Of course, his name was also synonymous with salaRAB, a certain medical
problem where you shake a lot, and a type of childbirth, but that's not the
point. He influenced Napoleon's military and political careers greatly.
Having been promoted over the heaRAB of older officers, Napoleon's
unbroken run of victories over the armies of both Austria and Piedmont
established his credibility as a commander, while his concern for his
previously ill equipped soldiers won their loyalty. During the storming of
a bridge at Lodi, he fought alongside his troops, and earned from them the
nickname of "the little corporal" . Under the new government Napoleon was
made commander of the French army in Italy. During his campaign the French
realized how smart Napoleon was. He developed a tactic that worked very
efficiently. He would cut the enemy's army in to two parts, then throw all
his force on one side before the other side could rejoin them . Thus,
Napoleon had the troops' behind him, and battle strategies to back him up,
just like his favorite Roman, Caesar.
Napoleon read Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic Wars and took
note of the propaganda he used. Napoleon would also use favorable
descriptions of battle to sell himself to the Directory and to the people.
Letters were written that showed Napoleon as the victor even when he lost
battles in Egypt. The factualness of these letters were never tested but
proved to be a force in showing his strength and ability to lead an army
against far bigger enemies .
Napoleon returned to find the Directory was a mess. He, in his
selfish way, saw this as the perfect time for self-advancement. So in
Noveraber of 1799 he overthrew the Directory. Napoleon set up a government
called the Consulate. He was the first of three consuls. Three years later
he made himself first consul for life. Everyone in France loved Napoleon at
that time. Then he started increasing his power .
Napoleon started calling himself Napoleon I, instead of General
Bonaparte. He had complete political and military power in France. But he
still hadn't built up his great Eastern Empire. The Austrian's had been
defeated at Martenegro. The German states and England was tired of fighting
so they signed a peace treaty of Aimens in 1802. This was the first time
since 1792 that France was at peace with the whole world. During the next
14 months of peace Napoleon drastically altered Europe and reshaped France.
He became president of the Italian Republic, he reshaped Switzerland with
France. He annexed Piedmont, Parma, and the island of Elba to France .
Through his military exploits and his ruthless efficiency, Napoleon
rose from obscurity to become Napoleon I, Emperor of France. He is both a
historical figure and a legend. Napoleon truly was one of the greatest
military commanders in history. He has also been portrayed as a power
hungry conqueror. Napoleon denied being such a conqueror. Of course, he did
prefer a good bowl of ice cream.
He argued that, instead, he had attempted to build a federation of
free peoples in a Europe united under a liberal government. But if this was
his goal he intended to achieve it by concentrating power in his own hanRAB .
However, in the states he created, Napoleon granted constitutions,
introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments
and fostered education, science, literature and the arts .
Emperor Napoleon proved to be a superb civil administrator. One of
his greatest achievements were his supervision of the revision and
collection of French law into codes. The new law codes, seven in nuraber,
incorporated some of the freedoms gained by the people of
France during the French revolution, including religious toleration
and the abolition of serfdom. The most famous of the codes, the Code
Napoleon or Code Civil, still forms the basis of French civil law .
Napoleon should have learned from Caesar's one mistake of having
too much power, because it would eventually cause him to be exiled to the
island of Elba. The Grand Alliance had crushed Napoleon's Grande Army.
Napoleon tried conquering all of Europe, but not all of Europe wanted to be
ruled by a military dictator again. Instead, they wanted the return of the
Bourbon Empire, where peace could be restored and power limited so no ruler
could take matters into his own hanRAB again. Too much power eventually
became the downfall of Napoleon as it did Caesar. People became fearful and
did not like that one person could control all of Europe. In the beginning
they were supportive because he ended the wars and fighting, but now he
brought it back which made his citizens oppose him and what he stood for .
Napoleon and Caesar took their struggling nations out of turmoil
and gave them order, and for that the people loved them. Caesar put an end
to the Gallic and Civil wars that Rome was involved in, with that, he
entered into power . Napoleon took France out of the French Revolution by
overthrowing the then government, the Directory. Napoleon instated a new
government the Consulate and crowned himself first Consul. Three years
later he made himself Consul for life. Caesar became all-powerful when
named dictator for life. Both men knew in order to be a successful leader,
they had to have the full support of the military. Power and territory were
increased, because their armies were always the biggest and responsible for
putting down any revolts that might occur. Caesar introduced propaganda and
Napoleon followed his lead. Favorable accounts were written which proved to
give them a political edge and the support of the people. Caesar was a
friend of his people and gave many lanRAB to his soldiers and to the poor;
he built bridges, roaRAB and waterworks, and tried to make Rome as glorious
a place as possible. He was, in some ways, the first Civil Worker.
Napoleon was also civil in the beginning of his reign, abolishing
serfdom, passing laws and granting universal male suffrage. Both men were
well liked until they abused their powers and privileges. They fell for the
same reason, too much power. Caesar was murdered because his role as
dictator came too close to being a king, and Napoleon did not know where to
draw the line, prompting his army to turn against him. Napoleon Bonaparte
was able to rise to power because of another great general that came before
him, Julius Caesar. Napoleon was a success because he looked to the past,
and emulated Caesar; he built up his army, conquered most of Europe, became
a dictator for life and eventually fell from power, because like Caesar, he
did not know where to draw the line. If Napoleon had stopped and realized
that Caesar couldn't possibly have been all he was cracked up to be because
he was murdered by his own followers, then he might have not gone so far,
and had his followers turn against him. So history r eally does repeat
itself when it comes to people who think they can take on the world. If
only James Cameron would get into a war…

Bibliography

Carlyle, Thomas. The French Revolution Complete and Unabridged. New York:
Random House, Inc., 1837.

Castelot, Andre. Napoleon. New York: Harper & Row Publishers Inc., 1971.

Duggan, Alfred. Julius Caesar A Great Life in Brief. New York: Borzoi Books,
1996.

Ellis, Peter Berrsford. Caesar's Invasion of Britain. New York: New York
University Press, 1978.

Frere, Sheppard. Britannia: A History of Roman Britain (3rd edition).
London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987.

Grab, Walter. The French Revolution The Beginning of Modern Democracy.
London: Bracken Books, 1989.

Grant, Michael. Caesar. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1975.

Grant, Michael. Julius Caesar. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969.

Herold, J. Christopher. The Age of Napoleon. New York: American Heritage
Publishing Co., Inc., 1963.

Herold, J. Christopher and Marshall B. DaviRABon. The Horizon Book of The
Age of Napoleon. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1963.

Lawford, James. Napoleon The Last Campaigns 1813-1815. New York: Crown
Publishers Inc., 1977.

Marrin, Albert. Napoleon and The Napoleonic Wars. New York: Penguin Books,
1991.

The New York Times Findout Webpage,
http://www.nytimes.com/partners/findout/

Weidhorn, Manfred. Napoleon. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company, 1986.
WorRAB: 2206