Research Paper on:
Napoleon/Rise to Power & Military Strategy

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. Additionally, he was also a statesman who was determined to direct Frances development toward being a great and modern state (Black 10). Mixed  in with his statecraft, however, was his vaulting ambition and his desire to found a dynasty, making his family name the leading name in Europe. Looking at Napoleons life, his  achievements and defeats, demonstrates how close he came to achieving his goal. Rise to power Black points out that it is frequently overlooked that Napoleon was still al young  man when he first came into power (10). Born on August 15, 1769, Napoleon seized power in 1799 and in 1894 proclaimed himself to be Emperor (Black 10). That he  should so rapidly become such a force in the French history is ironic because he was only theoretically French. Napoleon was born in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica,  a Mediterranean island that was ruled for centuries by the Italian city-state of Genoa (Black 10). In 1768, just one year prior to Napoleons birth, the French brought Corsica from  Genoa and conquered the islands rebellious inhabitants in 1769 (Black 10). Therefore, when Napoleon first came to Paris at the age of nine, he did not speak French  and spoke French poorly even as an adult, always with a thick Italian accent (Black 10). Napoleon attended military school where European aristocrats ridiculed his crude manners. His father  send him to a French military academy at Brienne and later he attend the Ecole Militarire in Paris (Black 10). As with many outstanding military leaders, his academic record  was less than stellar. He finished 42nd out of a class of 58 (Burdick 82). Nevertheless, his strategic skills were superb. In 1785, he was commissioned a second lieutenant