Napoleon

A Concise Biography

David A. Bell

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English

Oxford University Press
15 January 2016

Biography: historical, political & military; History; European history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Napoleonic Wars

This book provides a concise, lively, up-to-date portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte's character and career, including his most important battles, while situating him firmly in historical context. David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility - for both good and ill - that Napoleon represented.

By his late twenties, Napoleon was already one of the greatest generals in European history. At thirty, he had become absolute master of Europe's most powerful country. In his early forties, he ruled a European empire more powerful than any since Rome, fighting wars that changed the shape of the continent and brought death to millions. Then everything collapsed, leading him to spend his last years in miserable exile in the South Atlantic. Bell underlines the importance of the French Revolution of 1789 in understanding Napoleon's career. It was the Revolution that made possible the unprecedented concentration of political authority that Napoleon developed, as well as his unprecedented success in mobilizing human and material resources. The Revolution gave birth to the radically new, intense form of warfare that Napoleon later practiced.

Without the political changes brought about by the Revolution, Napoleon could not have fought his wars. Without the wars, he could not have seized and held onto power. He did betray much of the Revolution's heritage of liberty and equality, and ruled as a virtual dictator. But his life and career were, nonetheless, revolutionary.

By: David A. Bell
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 217mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 288g
ISBN: 9780190262716
ISBN 10: 0190262710
Pages: 152
Publication Date: 15 January 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. The Corsican, 1769-1796 2. The General, 1796-1799 3. The First Consul, 1799-1804 4. The Emperor, 1804-1812 5. Downfall, 1812-1815 Epilogue: 1815-2015

David A. Bell is the Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor in the Department of History at Princeton. Born in New York, educated at Harvard, Princeton and the Ecole Normale Superieure, he previously taught at Yale and Johns Hopkins, where he also served as Dean of Faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences.

Reviews for Napoleon: A Concise Biography

It is entertaining to read and discusses the important events and developments surrounding Napoleons reign. * Michael J. Hughes, European History Quarterly * A very concise, but very illuminating history of one of the world's greatest generals. * Steve Craggs, Northern Echo *