Napoleon Editorial: Are We Proud of our French Emperor, Twice Removed?

Newspaper: Le Paris Priodique

Name: Arianne Parizeau
Date October 21, 1815
Article from (Moscow Gazette): Leonid Yusupov

Le Paris Priodique
October 21, 1815

Are We Proud of our French Emperor, Twice Removed?

Written by your Editor, Arianne Parizeau
Recently, there was an article published by the , which
translates to The Moscow Gazette. In his article, Leonid Yusupov, the editor, attacks
and taunts the French people with claims of Napoleons inadequacy. Let us examine
the claims made against us and draw an educated conclusion.
Napoleon Is Not So Elevated Now
Written by Leonid Yusupov
Well, isnt this quaint, the French Empire is an empire without an emperor. This
didnt just happen once though; you had your Emperor exiled twice. You obviously didnt
do a good enough job the first time. Oh wait, if he hadnt come back, France wouldnt
have been beaten by the British and Prussians at Waterloo. When will your precious
emperor get the message; you cannot conquer every country. Even when he invaded
Moscow in 1812, we proved that you cant take everything from each European country.
Some countries, like Russia, made it as hard as it could be for the French army. Then,
when marching back to your precious homeland, we devastated your armies severely;
leaving only 10,000 soldiers to tell the tale. How can you stand by your emperor when
millions of lives were lost in his indiscriminate and inexorable wars? I will give him
credit, he was a very charismatic and intelligent military mastermind. However, his
obsession with power leads me to believe that it is for the best that Napoleon is exiled to
St. Helena.
The previous article was taken from last weeks edition of the Moscow Gazette.
In response, I must say that I cannot stand by the previous emperor of France. In my
opinion, his legacy was negative. He did lose millions of lives in the constant wars. He
never did get the message of no. He was obsessed with power as well as the
destruction of Britain. That being said, he did do some good things for France; he set up
a national banking system as well as public schools. However, that does not outweigh
the corrupt deeds on his record. He was power hungry, and seemed to want to keep

France under his thumb. Did he not divorce Josephine in order to marry Marie, so he
could have an heir? An heir he hoped would take his place after Napoleons death?
Although, I will admit, he may have divorced Josephine due to her affairs, but that does
not give him a reason to marry Marie Louise. It was said of Napoleon that he would do
whatever was necessary in order to get his men to follow him. How could we have
trusted a man like that? How do we know that he wouldnt have stooped to treachery?
Next, comes the matter of his Napoleonic Code. The code was supposed to set
uniform laws in this country, but instead, the code limited the liberty and freedom of the
people. For example, the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press were
restricted. This code also restored slavery back into the colonies in the Caribbean. It
seems as if he would do whatever was essential in order to dominate the globe, as well
as ensure substantial profits for himself and France. When he seized the power of
France in a coup dtat, in the year 1799, he was putting on a show. Behind his faade
of unpretentiousness, behind his pretending to be the chosen leader of the French
Republic, was his power hungry being; plotting his next move.
His next move was a ghastly thing; he declared himself Emperor on December 2,
1804. However, the French people cannot shy away from the blame of Napoleon being
Emperor; the French voters supported him. Nonetheless, Napoleon was not
unaccustomed to power. Before, he had assumed the powers of dictator, as well as was
in charge of multiple and large armies. France practically handed all its power over to
Napoleon? Therefore, how could his legacy be positive? We hand over the reins to
Napoleon and he wrecks the empire he created. One of the biggest things that
destroyed the empire was the continental system. The blockade was supposed to close
trade between Britain and other countries, as well as creating a self-sufficient Europe.
However, his blockade didnt work; smugglers still got through. Even Napoleons own
family broke the blockade! How can we see Napoleons legacy as good when he has so
many wrongs on his record?
My fellow Frenchmen, I beg of you, please do not see Napoleons legacy as a
positive one. Millions of people have died in his incessant wars. He was obsessed with
the destruction of Britain. He was also obsessed about his wife. He implemented laws
and blockades that were either restricting in rights or inefficacious. He seized power,
assumed the power of a dictator, pretended to be the chosen constitutional leader of
France, and then declared himself emperor. Frenchmen, please do not be hypnotized
by his charisma and military ingenious, see him as he truly is; a power hungry and
troubled general who had the infortune of going into politics. There is a time and a place
for everything, but now is neither the time nor place for Napoleon Bonaparte.