Good morning, I am going to finish up the Secrets of the Workhouse Series.  This time Brian Cox and Barbara Taylor Bradford wrap up their workhouse story and Felicity Kendall learns about her ancestor who was in the workhouse.  The run time for the episode is 46:28 and is called A New Beginning. 

The workhouse was a place where social outcasts found themselves when they transgressed the order of society.  Felicity Kendall’s story kicks off this episode.  Her ancestress ended up in the workhouse after getting pregnant after an affair.  Her husband had kicked her out, so she had no choice but to turn to the workhouse.  Her ancestor, Mary Liddle broke the strict moral code of Victorian England.  In 1898, Mary gave birth to her tenth child Albert Edward in the workhouse.  She would have been given a uniform designed to shame her.  Eventually, Mary Liddle would find a job and she would bring Albert with her.

Then we return to Barbara Taylor Bradford’s story of her mother and her grandmother.  They would eventually get out of the workhouse with the marriage of Grandmother.  However, the family would find themselves back at the workhouse gates.

The workhouse encouraged the innocent poor to come in, but the poor refused to work and were not invited.  Brian Cox’s grandfather frequently used the workhouse because he was sick very often.  He was noted as a troublemaker.  Eventually, his grandfather would end up in the asylum.  Brian wants to continue to learn about why his grandfather was put in the asylum.  Brian’s grandfather had frequently health problems but the staff at the workhouse thought he was faking it.  The staff thought he should have been able to look after his health better.  However he was also not only looking after himself, but he had to look after his young son.  The workhouse refused to do so because at least the child had a parent.  Eventually, Brian’s uncle was taken care of and sent to the countryside to live.

The Edwardian Period saw a shift in its care for children.  The staff would adopt vulnerable children and take them into care.  Felicity’s uncle was taken away from Felicity’s grandmother.  She had a second illegitimate child.  Children whose parents have died, unable to care for them, or who had no moral standing were taken into care by the guardians of the workhouse.  Only orphans and abandoned children were taken into care that would change to any child.  Albert would have been housed in a special children’s block away from the adults.  His mother would have applied to the guardians to get Albert back.  However, this application was denied.

In Scotland, the scheme was very different. Instead of raising in the city and the children were sent out to the countryside.  Brian Cox’s uncle was finally boarded out to a farming family.  Sending the children into the countryside to give them a chance at a new life.  His uncle would have been given a suit of clothing to help him blend into the community.  The last thing people wanted was to see a pauper child in the countryside.

Barbara Taylor Bradford’s family would fall under this scheme as well.  Her aunt and uncles were taken into care by Barnardos.  It was a private charity that was employed to look after orphaned, abandoned, and destitute children.  This was a result of the death of Barbara’s grandmother and the neglect of her step-grandfather.  She writes to Barnardos to see what happened with her aunts and her uncles. 

Felicity learns about the fate of both Albert and Claude, another child that her grandmother Mary had.  She visits the site of Claude’s grave and lays stones on the unmarked ground.  In the meantime, Albert would have gone off to war to make something of himself. To learn more about the stories of Brian Cox, Barbara Taylor Bradford, and Felicity Kendall continue to follow along with this episode.

Barbara Taylor Bradford’s story made me sad and I hope that she made contact with her family in Australia.  She just seemed like a dear sweet lady taking in the information of her family.  This is a good series and the stories were very interesting to watch.  This would be good for a history class and good for research purposes.

Good morning and now let’s take a look at the history of the workhouse through the eyes of celebrities who descended from workout inmates.  You will hear a very familiar narrator in this miniseries.  The run time for this episode is 46:25 and is called The Last Resort.

This is a miniseries featuring celebrities Brian Cox, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Kiera Chaplin, and Fern Britton.  The Workhouse was a place where the destitute could end up in Victorian England and was adopted as a way to address poverty.   The inmates were supposed to be shamed into doing better and standing up on their own two feet in order to pull themselves out of poverty. It was an institution that caused misery and invoked shame.  There were no government-provided benefits.  It survived into the modern era only ending after World War II.  One in every ten British people can trace their ancestors to the workhouse.

This episode begins with Keira Chaplin and her ancestor Charlie Chaplin.  He entered the Lambeth Workhouse as a child.  Charlie’s father had abandoned the family, and his mother was a singer who lost her voice.  Charlie, his mother, and his brother ended up in the workhouse.  Charlie and his brother would have been separated from their mother.  Kiera learns more about her grandfather’s workhouse experience.

Families were split up in order to stop the spread of poverty and horrible behavior.  There was a male side and a female side in the workhouse.  The children also had a wing themselves.  There were further divisions into good and bad people.  Workhouse life was brutal and conditions were such as to discourage people from entering the workhouse when they could earn a pittance on the outside.  Families stuck together through thick and thin in order to avoid going into the workhouse.

The next story talks about Brian Cox and how his grandfather ended up in the poorhouse, the Scottish version of the workhouse.  He talks about his deep fear of poverty, which was something he mentioned in his Finding Your Roots episode.  His grandfather was an Irish immigrant to Glasgow, Scotland. 

To qualify for the workhouse the people had to work ten hours picking rope or smashing rocks.  The door was always open however there was a population who left the workhouse in a coffin.  Fern Britton’s workhouse story was explored in this section.  Her distant uncle ended up in the workhouse because of ill health.  Eventually, her uncle was transferred to a London Hospital.  The workhouse was where the poor could get some health care.  If a family could get the body back they would, but if not the medical community would use it to teach future doctors.

The last story explored in his episode is author, Barbara Taylor Bradford.  Her grandmother and mother were in the workhouse which was a surprise to Barbara Taylor Bradford.  It was a secret that her mother kept all her life.  There was a stigma about the families that entered the workhouse and that stigma seemed to have carried through the generations.  Why did her mother and grandmother end up in the workhouse?  It is here that Barbara learns that her mother was born illegitimate. 

On top of free healthcare, the workhouse would have educated the children of the inmates.  They were taught reading, there were sports and they were taught skills to help them gain successful employment.  Charlie Chaplin was able to learn skills in the workhouse that would have led to a successful acting career.  To learn more about each celebrity’s workhouse stories continue to watch the rest of the documentary.

Brian Cox did Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates and learned more about his family history, and this show provides some additional background to Brian Cox’s story.  The other stories were also a fascinating look into the history of the workhouse.  I liked Barbara’s story and she seemed deeply touch and interested in what she was finding about her mother’s workhouse experience.  I also enjoyed Barbara’s conversation with a surviving resident of the workhouse.  The story transitions were very well done and I like Jim Carslie’s narration.  This would be a good documentary to show to a history classroom and would be a good documentary to use for research purposes too.

Good morning!  I need to change up my reviews after a string of documentary stinkers.  It does make me sad to have put out a string of horrible documentary reviews, but at least your teacher knows which documentaries to avoid showing to a history class.  Why not do a documentary on Neuschwanstein Castle?  The run time for this documentary is 51:30 and is part of the History Stories Special on DW.  It is called A Castle Full of Secrets: Neuschwanstein.  It is a German-produced documentary with English narration and subtitles.

Neuschwanstein Castle is a place of myths and legends.  It was a childhood dream of a future King and became one of the most exciting building projects in the world.  The foundation stone was laid on September 5, 1869, by King Ludwig II of Bavaria.  He would not live long enough to live in this lovely castle.  His sudden death gave the castle its legendary status.  Soon after his death, the castle was opened to show the public how crazy the dead king one.  It would survive two world wars and would become the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty.

The story begins with Ludwig’s childhood home, a grand castle that was rebuilt.  Ludwig was a dreamer growing up and was not interested in politics.  He preferred to explore the grounds around his childhood home.  The first documentaries about King Ludwig were made in the 1960s and these documentaries would have featured his childhood home.  The castle would have been decorated with scenes from the Medieval Period.  He would have grown up being inspired by fair maidens and heroes.  He even wrote poetry about becoming a knight.  He would have been inspired to build his own castle.

At eighteen Ludwig enjoyed his fantasy world and did not care to dwell in reality.  He would have been surprised when his father died.  He was going to be king, a role he was very unprepared for.  Three days after the funeral he wrote about the job he was about to embark on.  Looking back, he could now be considered unsuitable to be king.  He would have been taught how to spend money and the accounts he created have been preserved.  Maximilian tried to drill frugality into Ludwig.  However after he became King, frugality would die.

After he became King, he would invite Wagner to come to Bavaria and would support the composer.  Wagner was the first person to learn about Ludwig’s plans for Neuschwanstein.  The first drawings would have emerged from this period.  The castle initially was fairly simple before it became the fairy tale fantasy we know today.  Neuschwanstein was a fusion of different styles and a stark comparison to the simpler designs of his father's time.  It was a dream come true, built for a man who wanted to escape reality.  A historic treasure is revealed at this time, it would show the progress of the construction of Neuschwanstein.  The photos would show how the landscape looked before the castle was built.  These provide a tantalizing look into the past.  Using these photos historians are able to recreate

Ludwig would have recorded construction details as the castle was built, even the details that nobody cared about.  The workers may have expected to see the King on the construction site.  However, the king was a naturally shy man and rarely made public appearances.  Despite this, he kept an eye on construction like a hawk.  He let his politicians deal with the day-to-day duties of the king.  Ludwig was going to build his dream castle.  What will happen as a result of his obsession?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more about King Ludwig and Neuschwanstein Castle.

This was a nice little turnaround after the dud reviews of the past few days.  I like that there was an interview with one of Ludwig II’s relatives.  It was also neat to hear from a descendant who worked on the castle.  The descendant also worked as a tool guide for the castle.  The views of the castle were spectacular, particularly the views of the castle in the landscape.  It was a very fascinating look into the life of King Ludwig.  This would be a good documentary for a geography class and would be good for research purposes.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this blog and doing your planning.  Time to move on from the Napoleon documentary and the disappointment of that documentary.  It was another reminder that I watch these documentaries so you, the teacher do not have to.  Now let’s flash forward a bit and have a change of pace.  I am going to look at a documentary on the American Civil War.  This documentary was part of the History of War Series and it is the Complete Story of the American Civil War.  This documentary has a run time of 54:40.  Will this turn out like the Napoleon documentary, feel free to read on.

The American Civil War was fought less than a century after the Revolutionary War.  It was a nation that would come to blows and it was torn apart by Civil War.  The southern states fought the union states for four years over slavery and state rights.  Northern politicians were pushing for slavery’s abolition and with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the descent into the Civil War would begin.  The Civil War started with shots fired on Fort Sumter.  This war would tear the nation for four years.

The documentary kicks off with a long recap of the American Revolution and what led up to the American Revolution.  Then there was a short comment on the Articles of Confederation and then a comment on the Constitution.  I do not believe that such a long recap was necessary to kick off the documentary.  I was confused as to when the introduction was finished and when the actual documentary began.  It was a challenge to write the summary for the documentary because of the length of the introduction.

When the Civil War started both sides thought that the war would be short.  The capitals were one hundred miles apart and so it would take one big battle to decide the war.  However Bull Run would change that and both sides had to find more troops.  Alfred Bellard was one of those soldiers and a re-creator reads his words.  This was rather nice to hear a soldier's perspective.  The soldiers needed to be trained, and many did not have experience in battle.  They were trained in the British way, however with new immigrants coming in they were trained in the French way.  Many officers would imitate Napoleon.

Technology also had an impact on the war.  Railroads could transport soldiers quickly.  The telegraph could spread the news of the battle quickly.  Even the guns were different and there is a long discussion on the evolution of guns.  Old-style guns were used at the start of the Civil War with disastrous results.  Eventually, new guns were brought in and the style of fighting changed.  Fixed positions and trenches were used, much like the fronts in World War I.

Then there was a discussion on the life of a soldier, what weapons he used, and the lifestyle of the soldier.  There was a discussion on the soldiers on both sides of the Civil War.  One of the historians mentioned World War I again.  I do not know how appropriate it was to mention World War I in a documentary about the Civil War.  If you want to know more about war tactics during the Civil War then you can finish this documentary.  However, if you want a good documentary on the Civil War, then feel free to stop watching this documentary.

This documentary is another old-school type of documentary, nothing fancy and pretty straightforward.  The introduction to the lead-up to the Civil War just went on forever for such a short documentary.  I found myself drifting and when I say I was drifting I mean I went to work on a family history project while playing the documentary.  Sometimes I had to pause and take a break from it because it was so boring.  It did not get better as the documentary progressed.  As I watched I started to conclude that it was a documentary more about tactics and not the Civil War itself.  Over all, this was a very disappointing documentary and something I would not be showing to a history classroom.

Good morning, I am working through the Napoleon series and this is the last episode in the series!  I am very glad and relieved to be done with this series.   The run time for this episode is 48:09 and it is about the Battle of Waterloo.

Napoleon was in exile on the Island of Ebla after his final defeat in 1814.  He had been forced to abdicate and was sent into exile.  It was a shock to Napoleon to be sent to Elba.  However, eventually, the shock wore off he kept himself busy building bridges and forts on Elba.  During his exile, the allies refused to let him reunite with his wife Marie-Louise and his son.  These actions won the population.  Even though he was in exile he would make plans to return to France.

While in exile, he came to a barren island.  He resolved to improve the lives of the population.  He built roads and would talk with the people.  Napoleon kept himself busy but wanted to return to France.  He keeps in touch with events back in France.  He is aware of the unpopularity of Louis XVIII.  He regained his health.  Eventually, he would redecorate his house and would set rooms aside for his wife and son in case they would join him in exile.  He would also keep in touch with his former life Josephine, however, she would eventually pass away.  Marie would not join him in exile and would turn her back on his husband. 

Money troubles would plague Napoleon and his family.  The British begged Louis XVIII to pay the pension.  They did not want to give Napoleon a reason to come back to France.  Louis XVIII refused.  He was an unpopular king in France.  He barely acknowledges the Revolution, however, wants to restore the Bourbon line to the days before the revolution.  Things had changed so much that there was no way France was going back to the days pre-Revolution.

Napoleon would eventually return from exile.  Historically, few people had come back from exile to take power.  However, with the encouragement of his mother and one of his generals, he returned to France.  How would the population receive him?  When the king heard that Napoleon returned to France, King Louis XVIII fled from France.  He knew that Napoleon was popular and did not want to plunge France into Civil War.  There were other French that were going to fight back against Napoleon’s return. 

Initially, Napoleon was greeted coldly when he arrived in France.  However as he pressed forward to Paris, he gained popular support.  He was convincing the people that he only wanted to rule France.  However, there were royalist generals who wanted to stop him from reclaiming the throne.  Napoleon would put himself in front of his soldiers wearing a white shirt, making himself a target.   This action turned the tide and the soldiers rushed to embrace him.  The soldiers want to relive the old glory days of winning battle after battle.

More soldiers were on their way to stop him from advancing on Paris.  However, they were soon turned to Napoleon’s side.  Napoleon marched to Grenoble.  The politicians refused to open the gates to Napoleon.  The gates were blown up and the pieces were brought to Napoleon.  The people were thrilled with the return of Napoleon and carried him on their shoulders throughout the city.  There were other generals in Napoleon’s way.  They had grown rich under Napoleon and wanted to enjoy their wealth.  They did not want to go to war again.  However, nothing could stop Napoleon from returning to Paris.  Eventually, he would arrive in huge crowds in Paris.  Napoleon was emperor again.  How would Napoleon handle his second chance as Emperor?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out.

The introduction to this episode was very confusing and difficult to follow.  It slowly got better with its details.  That said, there is something lacking with this episode, well something lacking overall with this series.  I cannot put my finger on what is lacking it just felt difficult to follow at times.  Maybe I have been spoiled by BBC documentaries, but this series was so old and dated.  In the end, I would only use it for research purposes and not show it to a class.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this.  I am working through a series on Napoleon and this is episode five of that series.  There are new episodes added to Timeline, so I am unsure of how long this series is.  The run time for this episode is 48:05 and is called Imperial Zenith.

Napoleon’s career is in full swing by 1800.  He was the First Consul of France and had survived an assassination attempt.  The assassination attempt gave him the perfect excuse to eliminate his political enemies.  He would shape France to his will and would now take his place in history.  He greatly admired Alexander the Great.  He was a national hero and defeated both the British and Austrians.  Egypt was opened to the world.  He was going to be the savior of France.  He embraced the values of the French Revolution and wanted to stabilize the government.

Outside of France, it was generally viewed as a good thing that Napoleon took over.  There was a relief that stability had returned to France.  However, the outsiders did not see Napoleon’s ambitions for France and eventually all of Europe.  He was a man who had big plans and he was going to implement those plans no matter what the cost.  Who would be able to stop Napoleon?

Napoleon worked to form a grand collation and would try to include the former Bourbon family.  However, there were elements of the old regime that did not appreciate Napoleon’s offers.  A small group of royalists attempted an assassination attempt on Napoleon.  This action would prompt Napoleon to root out his political enemies.  Generals that Napoleon did not trust were replaced or placed in positions where they would not threaten Napoleon.  Then there were the die-hard revolutionaries who wondered if one single leader was good for France.  However, Napoleon wanted to stamp order on France in light of the chaos of the revolution.
 
The Chief of Police was Napoleon’s rival and he tried to get Napoleon’s attention directed for the Royalists.  He was also a revolutionary.  However, at this time the revolutionaries were a minority.  As a result of the assassination attempt many people were branded as terrorists.  Napoleon would eventually turn his attention to the Catholic Church.  The church had been stripped of its power and prestige in the Revolution.  However, Napoleon saw the Church as a stabilizing force in France.  Napoleon would only recognize the church as the dominant religion of the people.  The pope wanted Napoleon to recognize the Church as the dominant power, but that was not going to happen under Napoleon.  The Revolutionaries did not appreciate Napoleon’s overtures towards the church nor did they appreciate compromise.  The ordinary people appreciated the restored religion and would flock to the newly open churches.

Napoleon would not be deterred from his past.  He would eventually be made consul for life, in other words, he was emperor.  The church now had its place in society and it was under the rule of Napoleon.  He would eventually introduce the Napoleonic Code to help provide the public with direction.  This code would have benefited the wealthy middle class.  The wealthy middle classes had done extremely well as a result of the Revolution.  The middle class would rise to leadership positions under Napoleon.  Napoleon would also reform and improve French Education.  The Legion of Honor was introduced and this was an honor for everyone, both military and ordinary people could get the honor.  To learn more about Napoleon continue to watch this documentary.

Well, this was a better episode in comparison to yesterday.  It gave a really good background to Napoleon’s rise to First Consul and how he went to work to bring stability to France.  You could potentially walk away thinking that Napoleon was a good guy.  I still would like to see a more modern documentary done on Napoleon.  Hopefully one day there will be a more modern documentary on Napoleon.  This felt way too old school for my tastes in comparison to other documentaries I have reviewed.  Over all this episode could potentially be used for a history class because it provided an excellent background on the rise of Napoleon.

Good morning, and I am working on a documentary series about Napoleon.  The last episode was a bitter disappointment.  Hopefully, this next episode will be better.  I wish this series had episode numbers so I would know how many episodes to expect and what episode I am on.  The run time for this episode is 48:51 and is called The Spanish Ulcer.

It is 1807 and Napoleon is getting ready to invade Portugal.  Portugal was allied with England and this alliance was becoming a thorn in Napoleon’s side.  British and Portuguese were trading behind Napoleon’s back.  Nobody in Europe was allowed to trade with Britain.  This policy would ruin every country under Napoleon’s control except for France.  However, smuggling would grow and would be rife throughout Europe.  Napoleon was actively trying to stop the British from exporting their manufactured goods into Europe.

Napoleon was going to overthrow the Bourbon dynasty in Spain and would replace the Spanish King with his brother.  Charles IV occupied the Spanish Throne, however, his wife and her lover were the true rulers of Spain.  The Spanish were interested in working with Napoleon because of their traditional feelings against Britain and to help make quick money.  The Spanish would help Napoleon invade Portugal for a price.  Napoleon would believe that there was widespread support for Spain to join the Empire.  However, he underestimated the support and many people depended on British manufactured goods.  Napoleon horribly miscalculated the situation in Spain.  The Spanish people loved their royal family and particularly loved the Spanish Crown Prince.  The people had a deep sense of patriotism and loved the church.

Napoleon also did not factor in the Iberian Terrain.  There were no supplying soldiers from the land.  Outside supplies would have to be brought in, and the territory would prevent easy transportation.  The roads were in horrible condition.  Spain was a place where “small armies got defeated and large armies starved.”  The countryside was barren.  In 1807, Napoleon followed through with a deal anyway in exchange for dividing Portugal.  The French army would eventually invade and advance through Spain into Portugal.  When the army arrived, they discovered that the Portuguese fleet had fled. 

In the meantime, there was a plot to overthrow Charles and put his son Ferdinand on the throne.   There were riots in Spain which caused the Royal Family to flee.  Both Charles and Ferdinand were forced to give up their throne and Napoleon’s brother Joseph was installed as King.  The Bonaparte family controlled a large chunk of Europe.  French rule would be imposed on Spain.  However, the population would revolt against French Rule.  The Spanish people felt betrayed by Napoleon, especially when they thought he was supporting Prince Ferdinand.  Instead of King Ferdinand, they got King Joseph.  Revolts would spread throughout Spain and Napoleon would send troops and brutally put them down.  Mass executions would follow and Spain was torn apart by civil war.  Eventually, the French army would be forced to surrender.

This surrender would send shockwaves through Europe and would spur others to resist.  Napoleon himself would have to intervene in Spain.  100,000 French soldiers would march to Spain, while the Spanish would turn to the British for help.  Napoleon would eventually withdraw from Spain.  King Joseph would take control of the French army but this would prove to be a disaster for the king.  Napoleon was a successful general, but when he left his brother and generals in charge the army fell apart.  The result was a disaster for the French Army.  The British-Portuguese combined army was growing in veteran status and would soon find success on the battlefield against the French.  To learn more about the Spanish and Portuguese campaigns continue to watch the rest of this documentary.

Well, this was an episode that was divided into chapters which could make it easy to pull clips out for lectures and showing purposes.  This was a good overview of the Spanish-Portuguese campaign, although it would have been interesting to hear more about Joseph’s reign in Spain.  This documentary is way too old school and I am slowly concluding that it could be used for research purposes.  I am not going to recommend showing this series to a classroom.
 

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this blog post.  I am working through a series about Napoleon and I am still doing this series out of order because they are unnumbered.  This is the third episode in the series I am working through and it has a run time of 46:59.  This is about the Winter Campaign in Russia.

This episode kicks off with the breakdown of a treaty that happened between Russia and France.  Both Alexander I and Napoleon were ambitious men and would fulfill their ambitions in a backhanded way.  They would divide Europe, Alexander I would rule the east and Napoleon would rule the west.  However, the relationship would fracture.

Eventually, Napoleon would divorce Josephine.  He planned on marrying the Tsar’s sister Anna but instead married another young woman.  Tsar Alexander I was displeased with this move as well as Napoleon’s reluctance to help in the invasion of Constantinople.  Further displeasing the Tsar was Napoleon’s plans to revive the Kingdom of Poland by expanding the Duchy of Warsaw.  Eventually, they would clash.  Napoleon wanted a barrier between Russia and the Empire and by reestablishing Poland he planned on making that barrier.

In 1811 the Russian Ambassador met with Napoleon demanding that the Duchy of Warsaw be handed over.  Napoleon used his normal tactics to try to bully the Russian Ambassador.  However, these tactics would backfire.  The Russian ambassador warned Napoleon that if he were to invade Russia in the winter the French army would fail.  Napoleon would not listen and would work to prepare for the Russian invasion.  Supplies were gathered and the soldiers were recruited.  In Napoleon’s mind, he was well-preparing for the invasion of Russia.

When the preparations were made, Napoleon marched his soldiers to Russia.  Napoleon would travel in style to Russia and would berate the quartermasters if the soldiers lacked certain supplies.  One historian believes that Napoleon was over-prepared and that there were too many soldiers for the tasks.  Napoleon wanted the big army to force the Tsar to come to terms.  The French army was prepared for a short battle and a quick peace.  He wanted to repeat his success in Vienna.  He would emerge victorious and he should have.  The Russian army was filled with peasants and they were reluctant fighters.

However, history would remember Napoleon’s invasion of Russia very differently.  The Russian generals would use the vast land to their advantage.  Even though the French won every battle against the Russians, the Russian generals would draw the French deeper and deeper into Russia.  They burned the villages which would prevent the French from resupplying as they marched deeper and deeper into Russia.  Horses died as a result.

Napoleon stubbornly pressed on into Russia, pursuing the Russian Army.  The French were being drawn deeper and deeper into Russia.  One historian believes that Napoleon was not showing that he was a good general.  The Russians refused to surrender, however, when there was a wounded Russian he would order the man to be treated.  In the meantime, the Russian army kept withdrawing to keep their army intact.

Eventually, Napoleon would reach Moscow.  However, he discovered a deserted capital.  It would have been a hollow victory for Napoleon.  The Tsar and the Russians were not willing to negotiate with Napoleon.  This was a sign that Napoleon did not think through the political ramifications of this invasion.  So what would Napoleon do?  What would the Russians do to thwart Napoleon’s escape?  If you want to know, tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

I am going to outright say it, this episode was boring.  It was endless French fighting and the Russians retreating.  The French lose thousands of soldiers while the Russians were losing far fewer soldiers.  What was the point of this episode?  It was a challenge to follow because I found myself drifting periodically throughout the episode.  This was disappointing and I can hope one day that there will be a better documentary available on Napoleon.  This would not be something I would show to a history class.  I would also not use this for research purposes, it was that bad of an episode.

Good morning, I am continuing an exploration of the life of Napoleon with an older documentary.  I have a feeling that I am doing these documentaries out of order, but there was no real episode number designation that I could see.  I will be doing this series as I see them.  The run time for this episode is 47:30. This episode is called The Early Campaigns.

The documentary starts with Napoleon at the age of twenty-six and he was considered a national hero in France.  He was the general of France and was wealthy.  He is soon doing battle in Italy against Emperor Francis of Austria.  The French hated the Austrians and would continue to battle against them.  This was a result of their hatred of Marie Antoinette, the late Queen.  The Austrians moved into Northern Italy to fight the French in order to put the Bourbon family on the throne.  He wanted to head to Italy to put the Austrians in their place but was distracted.  Napoleon had fallen in love with Josephine de Beauharnais.

Josephine de Beauharnais was a young widow with two children.  She was also the former mistress of his best friend.  Eventually, the pair would marry.  Napoleon would leave Paris for Italy and would fight the Austrians.  He wanted to export the ideals of the French Revolution and help fill the French coffers.  The French planned to plunder Italy.  The campaign was also to distract the French from food shortages.  The people were unhappy with their government.  Winning battles would help the government gain some standing in the French people’s eyes.  If there were successful battles, it would show that the government was legitimate and should not be overthrown.  However, if I was honest, I got the impression that the government wanted French troops off of French soil to prevent their overthrow too.

Napoleon’s troops were badly demoralized.  He gained their respect by announcing that he was a soldier.  He created his own military newspaper for the army.  Napoleon identified with his troops and would use this to gain their trust.  He would spend time reforming this army.  Napoleon would gather hugely talented senior officers.  Men of merit could serve and rise in the Army after the French Revolution.  As a result, Napoleon swept through Italy and the Austrians were defeated.

The Sardinians would eventually make peace with the French.  However, the Austrians continued to press on.  In one battle, Napoleon would personally load the cannons and would earn the nickname “Little Corporal.”  The troops were impressed.  Napoleon was growing in confidence.  The French started winning battle after battle.  The Austrians were being driven from Lombardy.  Mantua was next in the French army’s sights.  However, Napoleon would get some devastating news: he would have to share command of the French army.  Eventually, the French government would back down, because they were afraid Napoleon would resign his commission.

Napoleon would spread republicanism throughout his Italy campaign.  The Italians were sick of the Austrians.  However, the French army would go on a campaign of looting and plundering.  Millions of dollars would be funneled back to France.  The French Army was an army that arrived in Italy with nothing but soon grew rich.  The Italians would rebel against French occupation.  The French would brutally put down the rebellions.  For the first time in years, the army could be paid and the soldiers would be loyal to Napoleon.

He would soon gain enemies and the government was aware that they had created a monster.  They could not ignore the threat of a popular general with a well-paid army supporting him.  Napoleon would be a danger to the French government.  Napoleon was already showing signs of independence and was acting as his own government.  So what will the French government do to stop Napoleon?  Could he be stopped?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.
 
Still leaning toward this as an appropriate documentary for research purposes at this time.  I am starting to dislike the old-school feel of this documentary and feel that Napoleon deserves a better documentary.  The documentary on Josephine de Beauharnais was very well done and Napoleon should get the same treatment and maybe even a good series.

Today I am going to explore a series on Emperor Napoleon.  The series is called Napoleon: The Man Who Would Rule Europe.  The run time for this episode is 47:43. This first episode is called The Early Years.

From his early years, Napoleon Bonaparte seemed to have been marked for greatness.  It was prophesized that someone would come from Corsica.  This series explores the story of Napoleon beginning with his childhood in Corsica.  The story then transitions into his life in the military and how he rose in the ranks.  Eventually, he takes part in the French Revolution and would eventually make himself Emperor of France.  He would go down in history as a warmonger.  Who was the man behind the myth? 

Napoleon was born in August 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica.  He was the second son born in the Bonaparte family.  His family was modestly well do, and had no influence in society.  He would have been considered middle class.  His mother had a big influence on his life and was determined to have her children succeed in life.  Napoleon was a good student but needed someone influential to propel him forward.  Eventually the French Governor of Corsica, he was friendly with Napoleon’s mother and would use his influence to get Napoleon into a military academy.

However, Napoleon was not welcome and was frequently mocked, and was homesick.  He would have had to rise above these circumstances. He would devote himself to his studies and would catch the eyes of his superiors.  It was here that he would show signs of leadership.  Napoleon wanted to join the Navy but was good at mathematics.  His future would lie elsewhere in the military.  Eventually, he graduated and moved on to a different military academy.  He would gain a commission in the artillery.  While he was in the artillery, he continued to study history.

Eventually, French society would change.  With French generals and officers returning back to France after the American Revolution, there were ideas floating around.  These ideas would turn French society on its head.  People were examining the monarchy and were not liking the absolute monarchy.  Political turbulence was on the rise which would eventually lead to French society being turned on its head.  The King was overthrown.

Napoleon would have seen the changes although he would not have known that the French Revolution would have provided him an opportunity to propel himself.  He was a young man splitting his time between his military training and Corsica.  His sense of Corsican nationalism would grow and be proud of his Corsican roots.  He wrote a history of Corsica.  Perhaps his treatment at school shaped his Corsican passions.

In May 1788, Napoleon would leave Corsican to take up a military post.  He was a growing republican and his support for the revolution was growing.  He would have been aware of what happened in America.  He wanted to be at the top when the revolution moved forward.  He would be the poor boy who would make good.  Along the way, Napoleon would impress his patrons with his drive.

Napoleon would return to Corsica and would try to win the rights of Corsicans to self-govern themselves.  He would be at the center of Corsican politics.  However, the leaders of the Corsicans were pro-monarchy which would lead to civil war.  Napoleon would have to lead the forces against his beloved Corsicans.  This would make him deeply unpopular and he would eventually return to France.  He would continue to move up the ladder in French politics.  How would he find his place in the French Revolution?  To learn more about Napoleon’s rise continue to watch this documentary.

This is an older documentary on Napoleon and it shows its age.  Even though it was old school, there was a good pace to the documentary.  It was rather annoying to hear historians compare Napoleon to Hitler and Stalin because the documentary should have been on Napoleon himself and not comparing him to other historical figures.  So far this is a good introduction to the beginnings of Napoleon.  At this time, I would put this in the category of using this documentary for research purposes only and not to be shown in the classroom.