Napoleon (Routledge Classics)

With a new introduction by Andrew Roberts. 'A penetrating interpretation...No one with a serious interest in the Napoleonic period can afford to ignore it. ' - Times Literary Supplement Whether viewed as an inspired leader or obsessed tyrant, Napoleon has divided opinion for over 200 years. Few individuals have left such a mark on history. Georges Lefebvre's classic work, published in Routledge Classics in one paperback volume in English for the first time, is a definitive portrait of the Napoleonic era. Lefebvre’s history sweeps us from the lightning coup d’état of 18 Brumaire in 1799 to his final downfall amidst the wheatfields of Waterloo. More than a biography, it is a brilliant survey of the turbulent age Napoleon inaugurated in his attempt to redraw the map of Europe, from the Peninsular War to the invasion of Russia. The cast includes his antagonists – Pitt the Younger, Wellington, Metternich and Tsar Alexander – and his allies – the wily Minister of Police Fouché and Talleyrand, the ‘Prince of Diplomats’. Lefebvre’s account is equally clear-eyed about Napoleon’s genius and his flaws. Napoleon’s determination to emulate Caesar and Augustus condemned Europe to more than a decade of war and economic crisis, but he also built an empire, introducing educational, administrative and financial initiatives that are still in place today. Georges Lefebvre (1877-1959) One of the foremost historians of the Twentieth Century and known as the ‘historian’s historian’, he held the chair of the French Revolution at the Sorbonne . His The French Revolution is also available in Routledge Classics. With a new introduction by Andrew Roberts.'A penetrating interpretation...No one with a serious interest in the Napoleonic period can afford to ignore it. ' - Times Literary SupplementWhether viewed as an inspired leader or obsessed tyrant, Napoleon has divided opinion for over 200 years. Few individuals have left such a mark on history. Georges Lefebvre's classic work, published in Routledge Classics in one paperback volume in English for the first time, is a definitive portrait of the Napoleonic era.Lefebvre's history sweeps us from the lightning coup d'etat of 18 Brumaire in 1799 to his final downfall amidst the wheatfields of Waterloo. More than a biography, it is a brilliant survey of the turbulent age Napoleon inaugurated in his attempt to redraw the map of Europe, from the Peninsular War to the invasion of Russia. The cast includes his antagonists - Pitt the Younger, Wellington, Metternich and Tsar Alexander - and his allies - the wily Minister of Police Fouche and Talleyrand, the 'Prince of Diplomats'. Lefebvre's account is equally clear-eyed about Napoleon's genius and his flaws. Napoleon's determination to emulate Caesar and Augustus condemned Europe to more than a decade of war and economic crisis, but he also built an empire, introducing educational, administrative and financial initiatives that are still in place today.Georges Lefebvre (1877-1959) One of the foremost historians of the Twentieth Century and known as the 'historian's historian', he held the chair of the French Revolution at the Sorbonne . His The French Revolution is also available in Routledge Classics. TITLE......Page 4 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 INTRODUCTION......Page 8 FOREWORD......Page 15 FROM 18 BRUMAIRE TO TILSIT 1799–1807......Page 18 I: THE LEGACY OF THE REVOLUTION......Page 20 1 THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE ANCIEN RÉGIME AND THE REVOLUTION......Page 22 2 THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR AND THE TERMS OF THE PEACE......Page 41 3 THE COMING OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE......Page 70 II: THE PACIFICATION OF FRANCE AND EUROPE (1799–1802)......Page 78 4 THE ORGANISATION OF THE DICTATORSHIP IN FRANCE......Page 80 5 THE PACIFICATION OF EUROPE......Page 101 6 BONAPARTE CONSUL FOR LIFE......Page 124 III: IMPERIAL CONQUEST TO THE TREATY OF TILSIT (1802–1807)......Page 156 7 FRANCE AND ENGLAND: THE STRUGGLE RENEWED (1802–1805)......Page 158 8 NAPOLEON’S ARMY......Page 199 9 THE FORMATION OF THE GRAND EMPIRE (1805–1807)......Page 214 FROM TILSIT TO WATERLOO 1807–1815......Page 252 I: THE IMPERIAL CONQUESTS AFTER TILSIT (1807–1812)......Page 254 1 THE CONTINENTAL SYSTEM (1807–1809)......Page 256 2 THE WAR OF 1809......Page 282 3 ENGLAND’S SUCCESSES (1807–1811)......Page 323 4 THE CONTINENTAL BLOCKADE......Page 344 5 THE PRELIMINARIES OF THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN (1811–1812)......Page 378 II: THE WORLD IN 1812......Page 386 6 IMPERIAL FRANCE......Page 388 7 THE CONTINENTAL SYSTEM......Page 426 8 THE INDEPENDENT FORCES......Page 474 III: THE FALL OF NAPOLEON (1812–1815)......Page 512 9 THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE CONTINENTAL SYSTEM (1812–1814)......Page 514 10 THE RESTORATION AND THE HUNDRED DAYS......Page 550 CHRONOLOGY......Page 565 FURTHER READING......Page 571 INDEX......Page 574 At the time when Napoleon Bonaparte assumed control of France, Europe and the French Revolution had been at war for over seven years, and except for a brief interruption, this conflict was to last until 1815. The 18 Brumaire did not in itself mark the end of an epoch. It might be more logical to say that the period of peace which followed the Treaty of Amiens was the dividing point between two eras. True, when considering the internal history of France, one sees that the coup d'état of Brumaire opened the way for the restoration of personal power. In this respect, the contrast between the Napoleonic and Revolutionary periods is well defined, but their essential unity cannot be ignored. It was to the Revolution that Bonaparte owed his marvellous destiny. He was able to force himself upon republican France precisely because an internal necessity fated that country to dictatorship as long as the partisans of the Old Regime strove to re-establish the monarchy with the help of foreign powers. - Introduction. With a new introduction by Andrew Roberts.'A penetrating interpretation ... No one with a serious interest in the Napoleonic period can afford to ignore it. ' - Times Literary SupplementWhether viewed as an inspired leader or obsessed tyrant, Napoleon has divided opinion for over 200 years. Few individuals have left such a mark on history. Georges Lefebvre's classic work, published in Routledge Classics in one paperback volume in English for the first time, is a definitive portrait of the Napoleonic era. Lefebvre's history sweeps us from the lightnin -- From 18 Brumaire To Tilsit, 1799-1807 -- From Tilsit To Waterloo, 1807-1815. Georges Lefebvre ; With An Introduction By Andrew Roberts. Napoléon Was Originally Published In 1935 By Presse Universitaires De Frances; This Translation Was First Published In Two Volumes In 1969 By Routledge Kegan Paul, Ltd. First Published In One Volume Routledge Classics 2011--t.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Whether viewed as an inspired leader or obsessed tyrant, Napoleon has divided opinion for over 200 years. Few individuals have left such a mark on history. Georges Lefebvre's classic work, published here in one paperback volume in English for the first time, is a definitive portrait of the Napoleonic era. This book offers a comprehensive biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, from the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in 1799 to his final downfall at the Battle of Waterloo