Did you know there are more books written on the Napoleon and the French revolution than any other period in history? At least this is what my French history professor in college, Alan Williams told me. I think it is because Napoleon Bonaparte was a romantic character and many people to this day route for him as they reread the history of the French revolution and the first Empire. The purpose of this post is to answer the question “what if Napoleon won?”.
Why Napoleon was a different leader and won the hearts of so many
When Napoleon landed on the shore of France after his first exile, the soldiers sent to arrest him weep, when Napoleon ripped open his shirt and said, either shoot me now or accept me as your general. This was Napoleon and this is why many people silently route for him in their imaginations. If Napoleon won, there would have been no world wars, this point is not even debateable.
Even if you think the French leader as more of a despot in the long line of kings in Paris who ruled France, then, who established his family on the seats of European thrones, he was different. Even if the thing is Bonaparte did not champion of the ideals of the French revolution. He was still a man of honor. Napoleon was a warrior, but also a man of ideals and law. He believed in the ideals of the French revolution at least to some degree.
What would the world look like if Napoleon Bonaparte had won
What Europe and the world would be like if Napoleon won
I think the turning point was the French invasion of Russia. Waterloo was only an after the fact battle. If Napoleon had not invaded Russia, he would have set up a long reign of French dominance in Europe and the colonial world. Eventually Europe would have evolved into something like the European Union by about 1912.
Napoleon’s victory would have resulted in
- French law would be dominate in the world and not English law
- No communism and no Fascism
- Architecture in Europe would have continued along design over functionality
- Paris would be the center of the world
- French would be the official language on the Internet and the second most spoken language after Chinese
- The world be a better place once the countries of Europe got freedom and independence under an EU model, we would be politically 100 years more advanced.
- If Napoleon won old European ideals would have survived and new ideas would temper the arrogance
- French cooking would be even more exotic
- French fashion would rule
External resource for studying the Napoleonic times
Perhaps I am too generous to the ruler of the first empire, but he does have a romantic hero quality. If you want to learn more about Napoleon I can recommend this website.
I could go on, however, I invite your comments on ‘what if things were different’, and Napoleon had won the Napoleonic wars?
3 responses to What if Napoleon won
Thank god he did not win ,then europe would be full of arrogant french speakers
Thank goodness he did not win ,then Europe would be full of french speakers.
Thank gosh he did not win, then France would rule the world.
Leave a reply to What if Napoleon won