Napoleon [Hardcover]

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 Lefebvre's 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 d?tat 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 and Tsar Alexander  and his allies  the wily Minister of Police Fouch? and Talleyrand, the Prince of Diplomats. Lefebvres account is equally clear-eyed about Napoleons genius and his flaws. Napoleons determination to emulate Caesar and Augustus condemned Europe to more than a decade of war and economic crisis, but he also built an empire, introducing educational, administrative and financial initiatives that are still in place today.

Georges Lefebvre (1877-1959) One of the foremost historians of the Twentieth Century and known as the historians historian, he held the chair of the French Revolution at the Sorbonne . His The French Revolutionis also available in Routledge Classics.

Introduction  Translator's Note  Foreword  From 18 Brumaire to Tilsit 1799-1807  I The Legacy of the Revolution  1. The Conflict between the Ancien Regime and the Revolution  2. The Consequences of l“.