Power of Napoleon

In the vast history of war, there has never been, and will not be for a long time after, a battle as big as the one in Leipzig. Beginning October 14 through the 19th, 1813, this is the battle that finally destroyed the rein of the great Napoleon, and of course the largest battle in the Napoleonic Wars.

POWER OF NAPOLEON

Possibly no other person has had such a great impact on nationalism in Germany as Napoleon (except maybe Hitler). His impact was most likely the largest in nineteenth-century Europe, and probably no other nation outside France acted so enthusiastic as those in Germany. As Nietzsche once said, "The history of Napoleon's impact, is practically the history of the higher fortune that this entire century has attained in its worthiest men and moments."

Dusseldorf Heine had seen Napoleon once when he was a young child, and imprinted into his mind was that. He wrote the following in a book called Le Grand (named after the soldier):

"He had an eye as clear as the sky, which could read in the hearts of men; it saw all the things of this world at once, whereas we others see them only successively and, at that, only their tinctured shadows. The forehead was not so clear: the spirits of future battles hovered there, and occasionally a movements flashed across his brow: the creative thoughts, the great seven-league thoughts with which the emperor's spirit strode invisibly across the worldÐ'--and I believe that any one of these thoughts would have given a German writer material enough to last a lifetime!"

A Christian by the name of Dietrich Grabbe looked at Bonaparte as a "tragic Titan", that is motivated by great ideals but slaughtered by his time period. For example, in his drama Napoleon, or the Hundred Days, the emperor broods as watching the force beastly conquer Waterloo:

"The enemy troops come dashing up triumphantly, thinking that they have driven out tyranny, won eternal peace. Brought back the Golden AgeÐ'--the poor fools! Instead of a great tyrant, as they choose to call me, they will soon have nothing but a flock of petty onesÐ'--instead of giving them eternal peace, the rulers will try to lull them into an eternal sleep of the mindÐ'--instead of the Golden Age a very mundane and decrepit era will arrive, replete with incompetence, stupid deceit and triviality. To be sure, people will hear nothing of mighty feats of battle and of heroes, but they will hear all the more of diplomatic assemblies, propriety visits of rulers of state, of comedians, fiddlers, and operatic whoresÐ'--until the world-spirit arises, paws at the sluices behind which