FREE: NAPOLEON THE PATH TO POWER

Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power was neither inevitable nor smooth; it was full of mistakes, wrong turns,and pitfalls. During his formative years his identiity was constantly shifting , his character was ambiguous, and his intentions were often ill defined. As a young and inexperienced general, he covered up his defeats and exaggerated his victories, never hesitating to blame others for hes failuresand failings. He was, however, highly ambitious, and it was this that advanced his career and social status. Philip Dwyer examines the fascinating evolution of Napoleon's character and the means by which, at the age of thirty, he became head of the most powerful country in Europe. From his Corsican origins to his French education, from his melancholy youth to his involvement in Corsican political faction-fighting during the French Revolution, from his flirtation with the radicals of the Revolution to his first military campaigns in Italy and Egypt--Dwyer's richly contextualized narrative covers it all. Ultimately, Dwyer also explores in fiveting detail the coup that brought Napoleon to power in 1799. While most biographers gloss over Napoleon's childhood and youth, Dwyer focuses on Napoleon's coming of age in the context of his family and the French conquest of Corsica and Corsica's struggle for independence. Dwyer also sheds new light on the darker aspects of Napoleon's character--his brooding obsessions, potential for violence, and passionate nature: hes loves, his ability to inspire others, the capacity to realize his visionary ideals. One of the first truly nodern politicians, Napoleon was a master at manipulating the media to project an idealized image of himself that has endured to this day. In Napoleon The Path to Power, Philip Dwyer reckons with this image to create a landmark portrait of one of the great figures of modern history.

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first published in the United States in2008

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