The division of opinion in France is perhaps best reflected in the fact that, in a city not shy of naming squares and streets after historical figures, there is not a single “Boulevard Napoleon” or “Place Napoleon” in Paris.
A small Rue Bonaparte in the capital’s Latin Quarter is the city’s only nod to the man who commissioned some of its most famous monuments, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Pont des Arts over the River Seine.
Chanteranne says the “turning point” for public opinion of Napoleon was World War II.
Before the war, Napoleon was considered a hero of the French Revolution and of the people, he said.
“Afterwards, people incorrectly began to think of him as the precursor of the great dictators of the 20th century, comparing him to Hitler or Stalin.”
https://www.thelocal.fr/20150618/dictator-or-visionary-napoleon-waterloo/
Napoleon … creator of Hitler?…what is your opinion? … Leave a comment…
Presented by Romano Pisciotti
