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Napoleon: The Path to Power (Hardcover)
by Philip Dwyer
| Category:
Napoleon, French history, Napoleonic Europe, Motivation |
| Market price: ¥ 320.00
MSL price:
¥ 278.00
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Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Exploring the political ambitions and private evolution of Napoleon Bonaparte's first 30 years, this book is a superb history of Napoleon's formative years. |
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Author: Philip Dwyer
Publisher: Yale University Press
Pub. in: March, 2008
ISBN: 0300137540
Pages: 672
Measurements: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA01461
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0300137545
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- MSL Picks -
Those lines from John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" kept popping into my head as I worked my way through Philip Dwyer's masterful biography, "Napoleon: The Path to Power".
Napoleon is one of those historical figures for whom legend and fact have become so entangled that it seems nigh on impossible for all but the most diligent historians (let alone readers) to unravel. The great value of Dwyer's work not only does an admirable job of sorting out fact from legend but also delves into the creation of these legends, almost all of them by Napoleon himself and the motivations behind their creation and dissemination. What Dwyer shows us is the creation and evolution of a remarkable one-man spin machine that took a young Corsican, Napoleone di Buonaparte, and worked on transforming him first into Napoleon Bonaparte, then Bonaparte, and, finally, Napoleon.
"Path to Power" takes us through the first 30-years of Napoleon's life, from his birth in Corsica to the coup of November 9, 1799 that led to his designation as First Consul. Dwyer does an excellent job in providing detailed information on Napoleon's formative years, including his time in Corsica and his military education in France, to give the reader a feel for the internal and external forces that helped shape the man to come. Dwyer's research seems exhaustive and this biography is certainly one that should be classified as "academic" rather than "popular". However, this strong academic bent does not result in turgid, dry writing. On the contrary, Dwyer's writing is thoughtful and readable at all times. Despite the fact that my background in this era is not deep, I did not feel lost in a sea of data-points.
By the time I'd finished "Path to Power" I felt I had achieved a greater understanding of the man behind the legend and the forces that propelled him to power and a better understanding of the turbulent events that helped create the vacuum that brought him to power. This is a thoughtful, academic, yet entertaining piece of biography that is a must-read for anyone interested in Napoleon or his times.
(From quoting L. Fleisig, USA)
Target readers:
Napoleonic history readers.
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Philip Dwyer is senior lecturer at The University of Newcastle. He is author or editor of numerous publications on Napoleonic Europe, and is currently writing a biography of Napoleon’s later years.
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From Publisher
At just thirty years of age, Napoleon Bonaparte ruled the most powerful country in Europe. But the journey that led him there was neither inevitable nor smooth. This authoritative biography focuses on the evolution of Napoleon as a leader and debunks many of the myths that are often repeated about him - sensational myths often propagated by Napoleon himself. Here, Philip Dwyer sheds new light on Napoleon’s inner life - especially his darker side and his passions - to reveal a ruthless, manipulative, driven man whose character has been disguised by the public image he carefully fashioned to suit the purposes of his ambition.
Dwyer focuses acutely on Napoleon’s formative years, from his Corsican origins to his French education, from his melancholy youth to his flirtation with radicals of the French Revolution, from his first military campaigns in Italy and Egypt to the political-military coup that brought him to power in 1799. One of the first truly modern politicians, Napoleon was a master of “spin,” using the media to project an idealized image of himself. Dwyer’s biography of the young Napoleon provides a fascinating new perspective on one of the great figures of modern history.
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Y. Mann (MSL quote), USA
<2008-08-04 00:00>
This book is an interesting look into the early life and various sides of Napoleon; including the soldier, the politician, the lover, etc. Specifically, I'm appreciative of the fact that the author doesn't look at Napoleon in a vacuum but rather the reader is presented with some of the history of Corsica, of the revolution, Napoleon's other family members, etc. All the things that in the end affected Napoleon and made him what he was to become. Undoubtedly this is one of the more entertaining and enlightening biographies that I've read. On the whole the book is a much easier read than I expected for such a complex character and time period. The author should be commended for presenting both sides of a variety of stories and 'tales' and showing myths for what they are. I've always thought it a must for an author to give the reader all sides of the story and either let the reader decide or have the author state his/her reasons for why one side should be believed over the other. Also important to note that context is provided for a variety of events in the book, such as presenting the "band of marauders" that Napoleon entered Italy with yet commenting that they were "no worse than any other army of the day."
The book goes over Napoleon's childhood on Corsica and then in France, his coming back to Corsica and his failed political movements within that Island's history. How he came back to France and through his connections was able to secure spots within the armed forces which went on to get wide attention thanks to the plethora of myths that were built up around his actions and, to a degree, his own descriptions of what went on. The two campaigns of Napoleon covered in this book are of him in Italy and Egypt. For me, being relatively new to this field, there wasn't much in terms of strategy or tactics but the author did get his points across in why Napoleon was successful. While he definitely had plenty of talent, intelligence, and other qualities that went a long way, there were, as always, mitigating factors that helped in his success and the defeat of his enemies. For example, during his retreat from Syria his army could have easily been assailed and beaten by the forces arrayed against him, which highly outnumbered him at that point, but for one reason or another they did not press their advantage and Napoleon was able to make it back to Egypt with at least the majority of his troops in tact (although plenty were suffering from disease, were wounded, etc). Napoleon's actions throughout this period resemble the majority of infamous 'tyrants' or 'rulers' of the past few centuries. His actions were not dictated by a growing awareness of what he was meant to do, although some would like to think so, but rather he took the opportunities that were presented to him on a day to day basis. I'd say the chapter on his attempt to usurp authority over France speaks volumes of how much 'planning' and 'fate' have little to do with the reality of the moment. Overall, this book is an excellent look into the early life and career of Napoleon. You will easily find the author being highly critical of some of Napoleon's actions but at the same time an explanation will be given for why he might have chosen one path over another, including a list of the options open to him, etc. Highly readable, filled with interesting facts, anecdotes, eye witness accounts, and the author's insights are, for the most part, objective. |
Melanie Gilbert (MSL quote), USA
<2008-08-04 00:00>
Napoleon's military brilliance, his ruthless domination of both his army and France's conquered territories - such as in his Egyptian campaign - and his intuitive grasp of nation building through nation invading, is a fascinating story and author Philip Dwyer writes a gripping tale of Napoleon's strategic and tactical military conquests.
Yet, for this very reason, Dwyer's "Napoleon: Path to Power" reads more like "Napoleon: March to Victory" as the book is less a political biography as it is a military history.
Dwyer clearly establishes Napoleon's early influences as a youth on Corsica and at a boarding school in France, where he learns - sometimes at great expense - that the battlefront is a means to the end in the battleground of ideas. As a young adult, he uses his army abroad to build a constituency back home in France. He shamelessly manipulated his soldiers, the press, his family and friends and even his countrymen to achieve his real ambitions of political domination.
If Dwyer had followed that narrative, this book may have been a more compelling story. Napoleon wasn't a general who somehow became a politician; he was a politician who became a general so he could become an even bigger politician.
The proof of which is that Napoleon's greatest victory isn't even on the battlefield; it's a bloodless coup d'etat in 1799 over the corrupt and ineffective French Directory (his superiors) - the post-Revolutionary constitutional government. He was 30-years old and First Counsel of an emerging European power. |
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