How do you think Napoleon would react to modern day politics? Especially in Europe?
I’m going to go high level because there is a lot happening everywhere, all the time.
I think he’d be disgusted by, or just generally against, Trump, Le Pen, Ferage, the alt-right, tea-partiers, mega-church movement, putting children in cages, the free press, the internet, late-night television, anti-vaxxers, anti-climate change movement (once climate change is explained to him), Franco, feminism, most modern literature (though I bet he’d like LOTR), extremists of any kind, this whole “women in politics” business, Faith Goldy, Catalonia independence movement, Islamophobia, isolationism, anti-intellectualism, anti-arts and sciences, cover up of abuses by the Catholic Church, modern fashion etc.
For Trump especially, I think he’d find him disgusting on a personal level. Uneducated, incapable of holding a real conversation, gauche, anti-intellectual, anti-fact-based discussion, anti-science, anti-art etc. He also feel that Trump is disgracing the position of President and that he is unworthy of leadership. Napoleon would also find Trump physically repulsive as he could be a wee bit shallow in some of his assessments (though, very early modern to 19th century to assume your physical appearance is a manifestation of your interiority).
Things Napoleon would potentially support include the European Union, globalization, increased access to education, increased access to healthcare, free museums, easier immigration, modern science (imagine explaining to him that we landed a man on the moon, he’d be so chuffed), NAFTA and other trade deals, proliferation of literacy, modern medicine, Arab spring, vaccinations!, dentistry, automated manufacturing, trains planes and automobiles, a lot of our tech, modern bathtubs, hot tubs, Jacuzzi tubs, office supplies, mocking people in the college admissions scandal, reduction of religious influence in politics, national parks etc.
QU’EST-CE QU’UN BREXIT? They sure as hell don’t know.
So, Napoleon would probably be pro-EU, he’d just think that France should be in charge. “Hey, how about France is the hegemonic power here? Has anyone thought about that? What do you mean Luxembourg is independent? They’re so tiny. Go on Macron, take them back.”
Napoleon at a philosophical level was fine with immigration, if not outright pro-immigration as is captured in his “it doesn’t matter which side of the Rhine you were born on, if you decided you were French then you were French” (paraphrased) encapsulating his view at a high level. (However, his de jour policies were a bit stickier.)
He’d be against any political approach that sought to cut people off from each other. The latest isolationist swing in global politics he’d disagree with, quite vehemently I imagine.
On Brexit Napoleon’s exact words are, “Yes, go on England. Shoot yourself in the foot while you set yourself on fire. I am getting popcorn and a front row seat.” (Trust me. Those are his exact words. I asked him myself.)
Slightly more seriously, he would disagree with the Leave position. While Napoleon had respect for the UK as an economic power, things have changed drastically since 1800. I think he’d argue that, in terms of a cost-benefit-analysis, it makes greater sense for the UK to remain than to leave, regardless of one’s desire for “sovereignty” and “independence” and “idk what a Brussels is but I dislike that they have opinions about the British sausage.”
Things I’m not sure what his opinion would be, mostly because the world has changed so radically since his life and he’d be playing a lot of catch-up if he were to be brought to life include: Putin and Russia, Syria, gay marriage, trans rights, Iraq War, nuclear weapons (I’m leaning towards Against simply because of the MAD effect. He’d see them as a pointless exercise as war is supposed to leave you ideally with something gained, not mutual destruction), carbon tax, Fake News (as he heavily regulated and controlled France’s press during his reign I think he’d be wary of the modern free press, but at the same time, I think he’d dislike the blatant anti-intellectualism and dishonesty of crying Fake News every two seconds), Israel (I’m leaning towards Support, but maybe not. Really hard to say. He’d have to have the holocaust explained. In his own time, he wanted Jewish people to fully integrate into society and become “more French.” One of his motives for liberating them from the ghettos was to encourage assimilation into broader French society), reparations (probably Against), the ICC etc.
He would be appalled that he is sometimes compared to Hitler. Once someone sat down and explained Hitler, the Third Reich and the Holocaust to him.
“So this uneducated, stupid, disorganized, fear mongering, hate filled, cowardly little Austrian is compared to me? This man who is no better than a picculu cani sicilianu? How Dare.”
One thing I want to witness is someone walking Napoleon through the Cold War and nuclear arms race. He’d be so appalled at the stupidity of it. “Well that was a waste of time, energy and resources. Eternally dumb. I expected better from America!”
Thank you for this FIERY ASK. I hope I get 0 hate mail. But we will see.
That said, I love Hypothetical 19th Century Napoleon In Modern Day asks.
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