The admiration of the mayor of Nice for Napoleon III was already known. But after incorporating Nice into the “Imperial City” circuit, for several months now, we have witnessed a rather worrying trend. There was the inauguration of Quai Napoleon I in the port of Nice, where one would search in vain for any historical connection. But this does not seem to suffice, so he seeks to go further, making one of those declarations he keeps secret on August 15: “On August 15, 2020, we also celebrate the 251st anniversary of Napoleon’s birth (…) Napoleon’s legacy, a hero of our history, should be celebrated by France.”
Napoleon I’s legacy is not just the Civil Code or the creation of various institutions that still exist.
It is also:
– the reinstatement of slavery in May 1802. Slavery that the Convention had abolished in 1794.
– Napoleon I means, conservatively estimated, the 3 million deaths from the Napoleonic wars. Not to mention hundreds of thousands of disabled people, generations sacrificed for the ego of one man.
– Napoleon I embodies the most total despotism, leading him to appoint his brothers as kings of Spain, Naples, Westphalia, and Holland, and his sisters as queens and duchesses.
– Napoleon I is the most complete cynicism towards men. Speaking about the Legion of Honor: “It is with trinkets that men are led!” And women: “We Western peoples have spoiled everything by treating women too well. They should not be regarded as equals of men, and in reality, they are merely machines for making children. It is better that they work with a needle rather than wag their tongues.”
In the 21st century, when war rages in different parts of the world, when people are far from simply surviving with dignity, and when the very future of our planet is at stake, there is undoubtedly more appropriate heritage to celebrate than this type.
