Napoleon Bonaparte's Greatest Achievement In the long list of infamous moments and great achievements in Napoleon's life it is difficult to say what his greatest and most influential action was. It is fair to say that within that long list there is an overarching theme of desire for power, so instead of highlighting a single battle or exceptional political maneuver, it is only to conclude that Napoleon's greatest achievement was his great sociopolitical rise. Throughout his military and political career, Napoleon was a supporter of the revolutionary principles of meritocracy, and although he came from rather humble origins, he used his fierce intellect and understanding of military strategy to manipulate post-revolutionary France into his empire. small beginnings. His large Corsican family had little social and political importance and even after the confirmation of his peerage he had little influence or recognition to speak of. Key contributions to Napoleon's success include a number of strokes of fortune, for example the French acquisition of Corsica in 1769 which gave Napoleon citizenship and the nobility necessary to receive a scholarship to attend military school in France. It was after his childhood and during his education that Napoleon's intellect and progress began to flourish. One of Napoleon's key tactics in his rise to the status of emperor was the assertion of his person. An integral part of Napoleon's policies and personal success depended heavily on the incorporation of meritocratic rule. No doubt his confidence in his earned positions and status is a consequence of his career and interactions with the French military system. Without these policies... middle of paper... and the success achieved through government reform, Napoleon's government also involved the use of propaganda, censorship, and repression of the opposition. Napoleon's final level of success was his time as emperor. During this period Napoleon's priorities appear to shift from the organization and creation of his empire to its preservation. Once Napoleon became emperor, he focused on succession and the importance of providing legitimacy to the government. Eventually his empire fell and Napoleon found himself right back where he started, on an island. However, the breadth of his legacy and the magnitude of his achievements in military and sociopolitical life in France and throughout Europe show the merits of his character and intellect. Against all odds of the state of birth and instability within France, Napoleon managed to climb to the top of the social ladder and achieved a maximum level of political success.