35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Napoleon's Transformation from Idealist to Opportunist, Corsican Noble to French Autocrat., February 18, 2008
This review is from: Napoleon: The Path to Power (Hardcover)
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"Napoleon: The Path to Power" explores the political ambitions and private evolution of Napoleon Bonaparte's first 30 years, from his Corsican roots until the coup of November (Brumaire) 1799 that made him the most powerful man in France and would give that nation the first military regime of the modern era. Philip Dwyer takes us through the major events of Napoleon's military campaigns into Italy and Egypt, with an emphasis on their role in shaping and revealing the Commander-in-Chief's growing ambition and ruthlessness. We see the political cauldron on Corsica that fostered Napoleon's abandonment of ideology in favor of opportunism, and we follow his transformation from anti-French Corsican to Republican Revolutionary to Imperialist.
Dwyer makes a point of the sophisticated, aggressive means by which Napoleon fashioned the public perception of himself. He was his own spin-doctor, utilizing military reports, letters, engravings, pamphlets, and the newly popular newspapers to promote himself in France while he pursued military conquest abroad. There was nothing extraordinary about this, except perhaps the extent of Napoleon's foresight and ambition, but the man was undeniably astute in understanding what a fickle populace wanted its leadership to look and sound like. Dwyer asserts that he may have been the first person to pretend to avoid public acclaim in order to attract it. Inevitably, attempts to appropriate Islamic rhetoric to enhance his image in Egypt flopped, as he understood the culture poorly.
I have no background in Napoleonic history, so I cannot compare Dwyer's work to others. I am familiar with 18th century France, however, and I appreciate this book's view of the Revolution from the perspective of Corsica, which was new to me, as well as the factional politics of Paris seen through the eyes of someone trying to exploit it for very un-Republican ends. I found the writing a little slow until the Egyptian Campaign, when it becomes more nimble and engaging. The importance of Bonaparte's family and the divergence of Napoleonic legend and fact are ever-present themes. Dwyer concludes with analysis of what enabled the coup of Brumaire to succeed and of Napoleon's continual willingness to exploit opportunities that other men didn't.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb history of Napoleon's formative years., February 21, 2008
This review is from: Napoleon: The Path to Power (Hardcover)
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I had been looking for an in depth overview and analysis of Napoleon's early years. One which provides a context for his early career during those revolutionary years at the end of the 18th Century. The modern era was created during those years so their importance cannot be over estimated. This superb biography provides the overview and the context, as well as a profound portrait of Europe as it stands on the brink of several different revolutions. It manages to humanize Napoleon, not demonize him. It is an unbiased view that provides a three dimensional portrait, warts and all, enabling the reader to draw her own conclusions as to the nature of this military genius and failed conqueror. It is an academic study, so readers not used to the technical side of history, as well as the density of historical language, will have difficulty reading this book. If that does not intimidate you, however, and you share a fascination with Napoleon, then this book will be one you greatly enjoy, and from which you can draw substantial sustenance. This is the first book in a prospective series and I look forward to the subsequent volumes.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very solid history, February 21, 2008
This review is from: Napoleon: The Path to Power (Hardcover)
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Although a history major in college I have studied very little of Napoleon or the time and places of his greatest influence. Thus I come to Dwyer's book with a love for history but without a critical background of prior Napoleon research. Therefore I must asses this book by the tools of history and by my own opinions as a reader of history books, rather than by assessing Dwyer's overall worth for Napoleon studies.
What I look for in a history book are the kinds of sources, the use of sources, the author's bias, the quality of the writing, and the interpretive skill of the author. This last part must be balanced extremely well, as we are looking for a study of the subject, not an opinion piece that pushes too much.
As a reader of history I want to be within the story as much as possible, given the facts and connections that allow me to draw my own conclusions.
According to these standards I look for Philip Dwyer has written a truly wonderful book.
I am not in a position to fully judge the source material he depends upon, however it appears that Dwyer has made ample use of a great variety of primary sources, and has then bolstered this with a wide selection of secondary sources from throughout the past 200 years. We are given, it seems, a very full and balanced picture of Napoleon. This includes more than just insights into his achievements. Indeed it seems Dwyer is more concerned with who Napoleon was as a man, with the achievements serving to illustrate the psychology and drive.
And maybe this is the best way to look at this book. Dwyer has written a very solid history that if not entirely exhaustive for some specialized scholars it is certainly such for a non-scholarly reader. Yet throughout we hear him examine Napoleon as a man, with insights and interesting perception into the motivation. This is by no means a common distraction, as Dwyer's emphasis is clearly and primarily a good historical study. He does not peek into the story very much and it seems he has written a very balanced view of a very controversial man. But we do hear from Dwyer enough in this book to make me, on occasion, feel intruded upon as I disagree with Dwyer's own interpretation or feel he hasn't entirely grounded his interpretation on what was presented. This is a minor quibble in an otherwise very good book.
Dwyer does also, on occasion, seem to want to show his proper academic skepticism in regards to the sources. This is what scholars should do, but there are times in which he dismisses a source or denigrates it, especially in the beginning, because of unsubstantiated suspicion. There is so much myth built up around Napoleon and Dwyer wants move past that, sometimes a little too forcefully and without established reason for rejection.
The Path to Power is not a light read. It is very good and detailed history, not a general overview for a popular audience. The very details that make this so wonderful a study also would bog down a great many readers, even if they have a more than casual interest in history.
I would highly recommend this book as a great starting place for research and understanding of Napoleon. It is a tremendous overview of his rise to power and the motivations and insecurities that were at the foundation of his historic achievements. For me, a lover of history, it was a wonderful treat to discover a famous man I had not studied before, and I'm greatly looking forward to another volume... to see how this fascinating story ends.
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