A great historian explains how Napoleon forged a dictatorship and explores the dilemmas of collaboration; personal and political. The Eighteenth Brumaire; November 9; 1799: with France in political and economic turmoil; a group of disaffected politicians enlisted the talented general Napoleon Bonaparte to lead a coup d'etat and establish "confidence from below; authority from above." This is the story of how Napoleon managed his ascent from general of the Republic and first consul to dictator and conqueror of Europe. Napoleon did not vault into the imperial throne but moved toward dictatorship gradually; each assertion of new power came gilded with a veneer of legality and a rhetoric of commitment to the ideals of 1789. In this fashion Napoleon not only gained the upper hand over his partners of Brumaire but also retained their loyalty and services going forward. Far from shunting aside those collaborators; he put them to use in ways that satisfied their most emphatic needs: political security; material self-interest; social status; and the opportunity for high-level public service. Ten black-and-white illustrations
#4866331 in Books 2002-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x 1.21 x 6.40l; 1.83 #File Name: 0391041339580 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant scholarshipBy JeriRajak's collection of essays delves into the interaction between Judaism and Greece and Rome. This is a large book; close to 600 pages; and the essays cover a wide span of subjects.The book apparently came into being because Martin Hengel; whose famous book "Judaism and Hellenism" has had enormous impact upon biblical scholarship for decades; suggested it to her.There is no way to review such a long and diverse collection; but here are some of the interesting points Rajak makes: "By the late Second Temple period; symbolic opposition to Hellenism...was an obvious part of the way in which the Jews of Palestine constructed their own identity" (p 7).Not that a distinction between "Judaism-Hellenism...is a modern invention" For there were many ways Hellenism did influence Judaism; such as in language and architecture. And; as well; Greek culture itself changed over the centuries.There is one especially interesting essay called 'Dying for the Law" in which Rajak argues that "Both the phenomenon and the ideology of martyrdom were crystallized in Greek texts written by Jews; before becoming part of Christianity" (p 101). She ties the Judaism of the Second Temple era with martyrdom tied to national identity.Difficulties for Jews living in places like Alexandria were complex. What citizenship did they really hold? "There is no doubt that the Jews; as organized communities; were often at odds with their Greek neighbors and eager for Roman backing which could forestall or terminate trouble" (p 329).Time and again; there were deliberate attacks on Jewish practices. Not to mention riots. The pagans viewed "Jews as misanthropic; self-sufficient; unwilling to share a table with any but their own kind or even to render basic human assistance" p 335).The sabbath was central to Jewish identity through the Roman world. Unlike every other citizen of the Roman era they refused to celebrate the unending pagan festivals; where theaters and city squares; even whole streets were filled with people celebrating. Everybody was there but; conspicuously; the Jews; and later; the Christians as well.This is only the briefest overview of this rich; meaty book. It is well worth the money.
