Napoleon Bonaparte: From Corsican Origins to French Emperor

Explore a 48-minute lecture from Yale University's European Civilization course that delves into Napoleon's life and legacy. Examine his Corsican origins and how they influenced his actions and attitudes. Debate whether Napoleon inaugurated the era of total war by comparing the violence of the Revolution and Napoleonic wars to earlier conflicts. Analyze the blurring of distinctions between civilians and combatants, as well as the large-scale mobilization of state resources for war. Investigate Napoleon's lasting contributions to the French state, including centralization, service nobility, and the Concordat. The lecture covers popular histories of Napoleon, his transformation from Corsican to French identity, and the search for origins of total war concepts.