Sunday, January 4, 2009
Lasting Legacies
The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire left many lasting legacies. It showed how the new Republic enabled a nation to exercise power more effectively than the traditional monarchy. Also it gave the modern world new methods of political organization and authoritarian rule. But most importantly, it left the legacy of nationalism. Without the Frenchman's national loyalty and patriotism Napoleon's army would not have been nearly as successful. Not only that but it proved to all the other nations what can be accomplished when a military force has something they're willing to die for... as opposed to the uneagerness of an army with nothing to fight for. Nationalism is something that the U.S. has always had since the formation of our beloved country but keep in mind that in the German melting pot of different cultures and provinces they had no idea of a love for the state. Thanks to the French Revolution, however, they gained a love for their country that became extremely apparent in WWII and that continues to this day.
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4 comments:
Elise, are you saying that Hitler used the French Revolution as a model for his initiatives throughout World War Two?
Not necessarilly. I'm saying that the Nationalism that Germany gained during that time was so intense that it was passed down through generations and generations until the passionate and extreme love for the homeland displayed itself during WWI and WWII. Hitler had that patriotic lust.. in a sense, one could therefore question whether it was Napoleon's fault for WWII.
I really think that Hitler's motives were cloaked by patriotism. Hitler used a sense of nationalism as a tool in order to accomplish his own personal glory. Hitler didn’t create a sense of nationalism in Germany. I think Hitler’s use of strong pro-Germany sentiment at the time was just a vehicle for his personal plans.
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I've been reading a lot of books about Europe and its history is very impressive, specially if we are talking about France and Germany, everything is war and fights. It's a shame.
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