Napoleon the Little

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Napoleon the Little" by Victor Hugo is a political critique written in the mid-19th century. This work serves as a scathing examination of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power and the consequences of his actions, framing him as a usurper who betrayed the republic. The book delves into the events surrounding Bonaparte's election and subsequent coup d'état, exploring themes of democracy, tyranny, and the moral decay of society. The opening of the text sets the stage for this critique by recounting the significant moment on December 20, 1848, when Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is declared President of the French Republic after receiving a majority vote. It describes the atmosphere in the National Assembly as Bonaparte takes his oath of office, highlighting the tension between hope for democratic ideals and the looming threat of autocracy. Victor Hugo reflects on the collective memory of opposing representatives and the foreboding nature of Bonaparte's future actions, foreshadowing the eventual betrayal of the very principles he swore to uphold. The opening establishes a stark contrast between the promise of the republic and the reality of Bonaparte's ambition, preparing the reader for the unfolding tragedy of French political life under his rule. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)

Notes:

Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_le_Petit

Reading ease score: 67.7 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2007-02-14