Napoleon Essays (893 words) - French Emperors, House Of Bonaparte

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio, in Corsica, on August 15, 1769, of a good family in a well-established position. He had many brothers and sisters and these family relations played an important part in his later life. He was a soldier from his childhood, entered the military school at Brienne when he was 10, and obtained his lieutenants commission when he was sixteen. He apparently began with some literary ambition and wrote various pamphlets. In these, as in all he ever wrote, there is a curious tendency to rhetoric, coupled with the power to drop such rhetoric completely and speak out with a native vigor and energy that burns and stings. The wars of the French Revolution afforded Napoleon an opportunity to advance his career; in 1796, he was given command of the French army of Italy. In Italy, against the Austrians, Napoleon demonstrated a dazzling talent for military planning and leadership, which earned him an instant reputation. Having tasted glory, he could never do with out it. In 1799, he was leading a French army in Egypt when he decided to return to France and make his bid for power. He joined a conspiracy that overthrew the Directory and created an executive office of three consuls. Napoleon tried to close the breach between the state and the Catholic Church that had opened during the Revolution. Such reconciliation would gain the approval of the mass of the French people. The Concordat of Worms in 1801, recognized Catholicism as the religion of the great majority of the French, rather than as the official state religion. This Concordat made his regime acceptable to Catholics and to owners of former church lands. In 1802, Napoleon was made first consul for life, with the right to name his successor. On December 2, 1804, in a magnificent ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of the French. General, first consul, and then emperor, it was a breathless climb to the heights of power. He was determined never to lose his power. He was not a tyrant; he was essentially an enlightened despot. Napoleon did not identify with the republicanism and democracy of the Jacobins; rather, he belonged to the tradition of eighteenth-century enlightened despotism. Like the reforming despots, he admired administrative uniformity and efficiency, disliked feudalism, religious persecution, and civil inequality, and favored government regulation of trade and industry. The disastrous defeat of the Prussian at Jena in 1806 and French domination of Germany stimulated a movement for reform among members of the Prussian high bureaucracy and officer corps. To survive in a world altered by the French Revolution, Prussia would have to learn the principal lessons of the Revolution that aroused citizens fighting for a cause to make better soldiers than mercenaries and oppressed serfs. Officers selected for daring and intelligence command better than nobles possessing only a gilded birthright. The reformers believed that the elimination of social abuses would overcome defeatism and apathy and encourage Prussians to serve the state willingly and to fight bravely for national honor. A revitalized Prussia could then deal with the French. In June of 1812, the Grand Army, 614,000 men strong, crossed the Neman River into Russia. Fighting mainly rear-guard battles and retreating according to plan, the tsars forces lured the invaders into the vastness of Russia. On September 14, the Grand Army entered Moscow, which the Russians had virtually evacuated. Napoleon was in a dilemma: To penetrate deeper into Russia was certain death, to stay in Moscow with winter approaching meant possible starvation. Faced with these alternatives, Napoleon decided to retreat westward. On October 19, 1812, 95,000 troops and thousands of wagons loaded with loot left Moscow for the long trek back. In early November came the first snow and frost. Russian Cossacks and peasant partisans slaughtered army stragglers. In the Middle of December, with the Russians in pursuit, the remnants of the Grand Army staggered across the Neman River into East Prussia. In October 1813, allied forces from Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden defeated Napoleon at Leipzig; in November, Anglo-Spanish forces crossed the Pyrenees into France. Finally in the spring of 1814, the allies captured Paris. Napoleon abdicated and was exiled to the tiny island of Elba, off the coast of

Fools Crow essays

Fools Crow essays James Welch tells of many of the Lone Eaters traditions and practices in Fools Crow. Few of have had the emphasis and meaning that is placed in the ceremony of the Sun Dance and praise of the Sun Chief. There are many reasons and ways the people worship the Sun Chief, some that can be explained and some that will never be understood. The people of the tribe have many gods that they call the Above Ones. None is more important and reverenced in such a way as the Sun Chief. I now pray to you to grant us abundance in summer and health in winter (Welch 112). He is prayed to for all sorts of things including long life, plentiful harvest, water, and good animals. The god of the sun is their god above gods. The Sun Chief is what Zeus was to the ancient Greeks. They pray to other gods, but they are lower gods or messengers to the supreme one. He is built a lodge and prayed and sacrificed to, once a year. After the people believed the pray was successful they have hope and good feeling going into the next year. I believe our father, Sun Chief, is satisfied with us. (Welch 121). He was to bring them rain at the right time, thick and everlasting blackhorns, pity to the poor, and healing to the sick. This ceremony was definitely a pivotal time in the essence of the Lone Eaters and Black Feet people. Heavy Shield Woman has the most important role of anyone in the rituals honoring the Sun Chief. She was chosen to be the leader of the prayer to him and this role is as momentous of a challenge and honor that there is in the tribe. Basically, the whole fortune of the people for the next year rests on her shoulders. If you are successful, the Pikunis will prosper and enjoy favor with the spirit world. If you fail, if you are not strong or virtuous enough, great harm will come to us (Welch 102). For all the good the Sun Chief could bring to the people, he could also bring bad and that would be blamed directly on ...

Role of Engineers in Sustainable Construction Assignment

Role of Engineers in Sustainable Construction - Assignment Example Architectural engineers have a tremendous responsibility when it comes to sustainable development, particularly its implementation, because of their central role in construction, as well as their skills and knowledge (Donnelly & Boyle, 2006: p149). This report seeks to examine the aspects required to construct a sustainable building for Apple Corporation. The report will focus on the issues that the Apple building must take into consideration in keeping with the sustainability of construction pioneered in Sydney’s walking tour. First, the engineers must assess the CO2 lifecycle of concrete from the production of raw materials, their transport to the construction site, and concrete production (Park et al, 2012: p2941). This will be done with the aim of pinpointing the processes that require more effort in reduction of CO2 emissions. After this, is completed, the engineers should now use this information to come up with the appropriate concrete technologies that will reduce emis sions and improve energy efficiency. Finally, the engineers will also have to design a diagrid faà §ade that increases the energy efficiency and sustainability of the Apple building by reducing electricity needs. ... According to Park et al, the process of concrete production is divided into various stages, including raw material production, material transportation, and concrete production, all of which must be assesses to reduce emissions (Park et al, 2012: p2942), as shown in appendix 1. Park et al (2012), build on Donnelly & Boyle’s assertion on the importance of architectural engineers in sustainable construction by asserting that they will have to assess the CO2 emissions in concrete lifecycle, especially as they seek to increase the compressive strength of concrete. This can be done through computing for the emitted CO2 and consumed energy for production of cement, admixture, and aggregate as shown in appendix 2. During transportation, the fuel used by trucks, distance travelled, and their fuel efficiency is important. Finally, with regards to production, the total consumption of energy and CO2 emission is measured for the storage, transportation, measurement, and mixing stages (Park et al, 2012: p2943). These emissions are assessed with the aim of reducing emissions and improving sustainability of the environment. The engineers will also have to come up with ways to accurately assess these emissions during the construction of the Apple building so as to ensure that it fits within the confines of allowed emissions in the area covered by the Sydney walking tour. In this case, the engineers will have to analyze the emissions from the cement, coarse aggregate, fly ash, blast furnace slag, water, fine aggregate, and water with reduction of admixture in different proportions (Park et al, 2012: p2944). The engineers will also be required to analyze the lifecycle of CO2 emissions. Taking into account the lifecycle of