Study Group Details


707: *CANCELLED* The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte

Monday
11:45 - 1:15
Starting March 04
In-Person

This course follows the career of Napoleon Bonaparte, who prior to his defeat and exile, rose from relative poverty in Corsica to rule France from 1799 to 1815 and build a European empire ranging from Spain to Poland. Particular focus is placed on the question of whether Napoleon bears primary responsibility for the ruinous wars fought during his reign or whether those wars were the fault of the European monarchs who continued to declare war on him. The course describes his military campaigns, his restructuring of France and Europe, his spread throughout Europe of institutional changes wrought by the French Revolution, his personal traits, and the steps that brought about his downfall.


View Syllabus

This study group is new
Class Type: Lecture and Discussion
Class Format: In-Person
Hours of Reading: No required reading

Study Group Leader(s):

David Coffman

David Coffman is a retired federal administrative law judge with a lifelong interest in European history. Judge Coffman is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and of Harvard Law School. He served in the US Army where he attained the rank of first lieutenant and received a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster for meritorious service as Commander of a detachment of Army Correspondents in Vietnam.


Reading List

Napoleon: A Life (Andrew Roberts) | 2015: Penguin Books | ISBN: 978-0143127857 | Recommended

Napoleon (Paul Johnson) | 2006: Penguin Books | ISBN: 978-0143037453 | Recommended