What do you think of Napoleon? (Essay Sample)

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Napoleon
Napoleon is one of the greatest French leaders of all time. His prominence rose during the French Revolution given that he led the troops to different battles that turned out to be successful. Based on his victories and failure during his illustrious period, much can be said about his character. First, I believe that Napoleon was a very brave leader and military personnel. He led French forces through various battles including the ones where the opponent was slightly superior. It only takes a fearless leader to engage in physical fighting in different wars and emerge victoriously. The leader of the British troops, Wellington, once intimated that Wellington was worth over 40,000 men. It shows that his bravery was not only a matter seen by his allies but also his opponents.
Secondly, I believe that Napoleon was a charismatic leader. Charisma means an individual that attracts followership and trust from the rest of his peers. When he came back from exile, his charisma and aura enabled him to assume a leadership role in France without necessarily firing a single shot. The people expressed an unconditional love on him. The trust placed on him was also immense, a factor that enabled the people to invest in his leadership. I also think that unlike many leaders, Napoleon was ready to learn and acquire knowledge from his predecessors or any other great leader in history. He was a good history student and learned a lot from the likes of Alexander the Great and Caesar.
From his illustrious career, I can conclude that Napoleon was a good general. Out of the sixty battles he fought, he only lost seven which came towards the end of his tenure. In each campaign, he managed to defeat larger armies with a relatively smaller force. He was also intelligent, meaning that he employed a wide array of tactics that assisted him in achieving his goal of annihilating his opponents. Therefore, it can only be concluded that Napoleon was a brilliant general who knew his opponents and guided his troops with the least possible amount of resources. As a general, he can also be described as a dictator and a power hungry individual.
All the wars fought by Napoleon had an aim attached to them most of which encompassed acquiring territory and making French much bigger than its current size