Napoleon De Gaulle and the Principles of War
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the continued importance of Napoleon Bonaparte as a military theorist. His principles of war, as recorded by staff officers, in his writings, and by his actions, stand as the basis of modern military theory. The true impact of Napoleon on the principles of warfare and military theory is best seen through a comparison of the Emperor and General Charles De Gaulle. De Gaulle wrote a series of works from roughly the 1920s to the 1940s. In these writings he described his conception of warfare. His theories, however, have not been incorporated into any of the studies describing the progression of the military art. This omission has been a great oversight, since De Gaulle stood as a great interpreter of Napoleon. Not only did he incorporate many of the Emperor's theories into his writing, he also looked on Napoleon as the greatest embodiment of a military leader. De Gaulle wanted another leader to take the place of Napoleon, to return France to its place of prominence. On the other hand, this work should not be interpreted as a biography of either Napoleon or De Gaulle. It is not a comparison of their life or work; indeed, De Gaulle had very little opportunity to put his work into action. It is for this reason that the historical scholar must rely almost entirely on De Gaulle's own writings in an effort to gain an understanding of his attitudes toward the principles of war. In fact, it is in this area exclusively that this study has been attempted. This thesis is intended to delineate the progression from the principles of war as described by Napoleon to De Gaulle's use of the same principles over one hundred years later. It is through this comparison that the continued importance of Napoleon is most easily seen. De Gaulle was almost certainly the most prestigious French theorist since Napoleon.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 16, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA384355
Entities
People
- Douglas W. Leonard
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology