Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Essay about Napoleons Farwell Address Speech Analysis

Napoleon’s Farewell Address To The Old Guard A truly dramatic moment in history occurred on April 20, 1814, as Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and would-be ruler of Europe said goodbye to the Old Guard after his failed invasion of Russia and defeat by the Allies. By that time, Napoleon had ruled France and surrounding countries for twenty years. Originally an officer in the French Army, he had risen to become Emperor among the political chaos following the French Revolution in which the old ruling French kings and nobility had been destroyed. Napoleon built a 500,000 strong Army, which used modern tactics and improvisation in battle to sweep across Europe and acquire an Empire for France. But in 1812, the seemingly invincible†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Soldiers of my Old Guard: I bid you farewell. For twenty years I have constantly accompanied you on the road to honor and glory. In these latter times, as in the days of our prosperity, you have invariably been models of courage and fidelity. With men such as you our cause could not be lost; but the war would have been interminable; it would have been civil war, and that would have entailed deeper misfortunes on France. I have sacrificed all of my interests to those of the country. I go, but you, my friends, will continue to serve France. Her happiness was my only thought. It will still be the object of my wishes. Do not regret my fate; if I have consented to survive, it is to serve your glory. I intend to write the history of the great achievements we have performed together. Adieu, my friends. Would I could press you all to my heart.† Napoleon Bonaparte - April 20, 1814 Following this, Napoleon was sent into exile on the little island of Elba off the coast of Italy. But ten months later, in March of 1815, he escaped back into France. Accompanied by a thousand men from his Old Guard he marched toward Paris and gathered an army of supporters along the way. Once again, Napoleon assumed the position of Emperor, but it lasted only 100 days until the battle of Waterloo and was defeated by the English and Prussian Armies on June 18, 1815. A month later he was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena off the coast of Africa. On May 5, 1821, the

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