With a new introduction by Andrew Roberts. A penetrating interpretation... No one with a serious interest in the Napoleonic period can afford to ignore it.
- Times Literary Supplement Whether viewed as an inspired leader or obsessed tyrant Napoleon has divided opinion for over 200 years. Few individuals have left such a mark on history. Georges Lefebvres classic work published in Routledge Classics in one paperback volume in English for the first time is a definitive portrait of the Napoleonic era. Lefebvres history sweeps us from the lightning coup detat of 18 Brumaire in 1799 to his final downfall amidst the wheatfields of Waterloo. More than a biography it is a brilliant survey of the turbulent age Napoleon inaugurated in his attempt to redraw the map of Europe from the Peninsular War to the invasion of Russia. The cast
Includes:: his antagonists -- Pitt the Younger Wellington Metternich & Tsar Alexander -- & his allies -- the wily Minister of Police Fouche & Talleyrand the Prince of Diplomats. Lefebvres account is equally clear-eyed about Napoleons genius & his flaws. Napoleons determination to emulate Caesar & Augustus condemned Europe to more than a decade of war & economic crisis but he also built an empire introducing educational administrative & financial initiatives that are still in place today. Georges Lefebvre (1877-1959) One of the foremost historians of the Twentieth Century & known as the historians historian he held the chair of the French Revolution at the Sorbonne. His The French Revolution is also available in Routledge Classics.