Was Napoleon a Good Leader?

     Napoleon had a large impact on the social, economic, and political systems of Europe. He was a good leader and there were many people who believed his ideas were beneficial, but there were some who did not follow his same beliefs. It says in the article titled "The Lost Voices of Napoleonic History" that "...as an usurper, a tyrant, and a greedy, egotistical and ambitious ruler, it has also been found impossible to deny that his work, such as it was, was accomplished with an exquisite efficiency almost amounting to perfection". This quote shows that Napoleon, as egotistical as he was, did wonders for Europe, and had such a high work ethic that everything he accomplished was done so carefully and every plan was thought out. He really helped the people and had a big impact on social systems because he communicated his well thought out plans in such a way that made people trust that what he'd do was right for their country.

     Napoleon helped the political system of Europe because he fought for Europe and protected the people. It says in the article of Marshal Michel Ney, "To the emperor Napoleon, our sovereign, belongs alone the right to rule over our beautiful country". This quote shows that the emperor Napoleon was trusted to rule Europe because he was loyal to the people. There are also negative impacts that Napoleon had on the political system such as the fact that he overthrew the Directory. This can be view as negative because, like Madame de Stael says, "I do not believe that when Bonaparte became head of the government he had yet formulated the plan for a universal monarchy". This can be viewed as negative because this shows that Napoleon was unorganized and did not quite have all of his ideas mapped out yet when he first became Emperor. So his impact on political systems can viewed either positively or negatively.

     Finally, Napoleon impacted the economic system of Europe because he was a tyrant. Napoleon was a dictator, and he was viewed negatively for this. This affected the economic system because he ruled people with social classes, and there was a great divide between the clergy and the middle class and the poor. He had so many impacts on Europe that could be view as positive and negative, but overall he seemed as though he was a pretty organized and productive leader that lead Europe to some great successes and accomplishments.