Napoleon Out Of The Top Ten?

Long term readers of this site will know Britain and Germany have previously held polls to find their greatest citizen, with Winston Churchill winning the title ‘Greatest Britain’ (to no complaint) and post-war chancellor Konrad Adenauer as greatest German. France has now followed, but their vote caused controversy: Napoleon Bonaparte was only ranked 16. Despite still being hated by many Europeans for his military campaigns, Napoleon was considered certain for inclusion in the top ten, which are represented in an election style campaign before another public vote chooses the winner. To be honest, I don’t find it that surprising and I disagree with critics who have called it either a ‘snub’. Napoleon may have contributed a lot to modern France, creating laws and institutions that remain to this day, but peace or democracy were not among them. You only need look at the final ten – including Pasteur, Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and two modern comedians - to see that cultural, scientific or humane acts dominate. That the people of France have turned against a man who, for all his undoubted genius, was a failed dictator is far from ignorant.