Napoleon Bonaparte: The Strategic Genius

His name was Napoleon Bonaparte and he was, above all else, a master propagandist. He made use of his extraordinary way with words to publish political manifestos, newspapers, and, later, his autobiography. He regularly commissioned portraits and sculptures and was acutely aware of how to present himself in the best light. Even when he made moves to crown himself Emperor, he used propaganda and political nouse to convince the populace that it was their idea.

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Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Steve Theunissen
Producer - Samuel Avila
Executive Producer - Shell Harris

Other Biographics Videos:

Joseph Stalin: The Red Terror

Winston Churchill Biography: In the Darkest Hour

Source/Further reading:

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts (Kindle Edition)
Napoleon: Rise of an Empire by Alexander Kennedy (Kindle edition)
Napoleon PBS Documentary

[Biographics]

Hello everyone. We've been experimenting with a bit of a podcast (a few people were asking for audio versions so they can get Biographics while doing other things)! Fair warning: none of these are new biographies, but rather me having a bit more of a free form chat around the script. I'd love to know what you think, if these are useful, wanted etc :). Thanks, Simon.

Links:

[shizukajoestar]

"Never fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him your art of war."


-Napoleon Bonaprate

[OneOnOne]

The fact that Napoleon faced down armies and they just defected to him is still the most badass moment in history.

[mrkeego]

Correction: He didn't declare himself 'Emperor of France', he was declared 'Emperor of the French'. As in not an Emperor over a territory, but over a people

[kasperandersson]

Yes Napoleon, the man abdicated in 1840 and died 1821. Truly a man like no other.

[anthonyelenga]

You conveniently forgot to mention that when he took power, he found a country in chaos at war with everyone and within 5 years, stabilized the economy, rewrote the laws, ended the chaotic revolution, brought back interior peace and unity in country where everyone hated each other, transformed a mob of untrained troops into the most formidable and effective military of his time. And that is even without mentioning the civil code, the french academy, the bank of France, and the support to science (e.g.metric system, Egyptology), and the comission of several public works, projects, general improve in living condition for his people. Plus he was not short. He had an average height for a man of his time. Plus he did defeat Russia before the russian campaign, during the prussian campaign

[tengkualiff]

Every time someone wants to conquer the world:

"Let's go for Russia next!"
"Damn it!"

[Biographics]

The myth that he was short stems primarily from the fact that he is listed as 5 feet 2 inches tall at the time of his death. However, this is 5 feet 2 inches in French units. In modern international units, he was just shy of 5 feet 7 inches. - Sorry for the confusion.

[shaun_b]

"My enemies are many, My equals are none"
- Napoleon Bonaparte

[drrockkso]

Fun fact: Napoleon was actually not short. His recorded height of 5'2" was measured in 19th-century French feet/inches, which used a different scale than English feet/inches did at the time. Napoleon's height was equivalent to approximately 5'6" in modern imperial feet/inches, which was the average height of a European male in his era.

The enduring image of Napoleon as an insecure short man is almost entirely a product of English wartime propaganda. Cartoonists and pamphleteers in England and other countries fighting the French would draw Napoleon as a short, angry, almost-juvenile tyrant in order to ridicule him for political purposes. Napoleon was well-aware of these depictions and often lamented the damage it did to his reputation. Ironically, he was more insecure about the false perceptions of his height than he was about his actual height.

[jadawin]

Napoleon Bonaparte. THE military genius. General at 24 years old. Fought 60 battles, lost only 8, mainly at the end of his career, against a wide european coalition...

[wheelman]

If there was one historical figure I would want to talk to, it would be him.

[nicktamer]

When your enemies called you "the god of war" and they felt the need to elaborate a strategic protocol (the Trachenberg plan) saying: "if Napoleon is on the battlefield, avoid the fight; if he's not, try something", it means you achieved something in the art of war.

[odirilechristos]

"Even when I'm gone I shall remain in people's minds the star of their rights, my name will be the war cry of their efforts, the motto of their hopes" Napoleon Bonaparte. The man's been dead for 200 years and still captures the fascination of the world ought to be the greatest man who's ever lived

[militaryenthusiast]

Well yes I am a great man. Britain didn’t declare war in France, they declared war on ME

[bregjejabra]

"History is a set of Lies agreed upon". Napoleon Bonaparte.

[JimFortune]

"Today I found out that Napoleon Bonaparte was not in fact especially short. The myth that he was short stems primarily from the fact that he is listed as 5 feet 2 inches tall at the time of his death. However, this is 5 feet 2 inches in French units. In modern international units, he was just shy of 5 feet 7 inches." Mar 23, 2010

[TheCactus]

For some one who is so accurate I find 3 errors
1) At minute 12 a picture of Archduke Franz Ferdinand appears except he was born then.
2) Napoleon abdicated in 1840 yet he died in 1821
3) At minute 19 during the battle of Waterloo a picture is shown from the charge of the Light Brigade from the Crimean war.
Really Simon I think there is an issue of quality control here
Ashley

[joonaslehtonen]

One of the greatest man that ever lived. His only fault was that at one point he stopped listening his aids and started to believe himself to be invincible.

[ignitionfrn]

1:30 - Chapter 1 - Early life
3:05 - Chapter 2 - Military academy
4:50 - Chapter 3 - Paris in flames
6:40 - Chapter 4 - Taking control
8:50 - Chapter 5 - Victory after victory
11:40 - Chapter 6 - Absolute power
14:30 - Chapter 7 - Austerlitz
15:40 - Chapter 8 - The russian campaign
16:50 - Chapter 9 - Exile & return
18:20 - Chapter 10 - Downfall