Question

Can someone plz help me with this

Document 11
“I closed the gulf of anarchy and brought order out of chaos. I rewarded merit regardless of birth or wealth, wherever I found it. I abolished feudalism and restored equality to all regardless of religion and before the law. I fought the decrepit monarchies of the Old Regime because the alternative was the destruction of all this. I purified the Revolution.”
Source: Letter, Napoleon Bonaparte, 1812
According to this passage, do you think Napoleon is a democratic reformer or Imperial dictator? Explain.

Answer 1

Napoleon can be considered both a democratic reformer and an imperial dictator based on the given passage.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the given passage, Napoleon can be seen as both a democratic reformer and an imperial dictator.

On one hand, Napoleon claims to have closed the 'gulf of anarchy' and brought order out of chaos, abolished feudalism, and restored equality to all regardless of religion and before the law. These actions align with democratic principles of equality and meritocracy.

On the other hand, further information provided suggests that Napoleon also indulged in personal power, appointed family members to govern puppet states, trusted only a select few and ruled like a dictator. The imperial state he created lacked the democratic impulse of the French Revolution, and he did not uphold all the principles of the Revolution.