The books of Henri Guillemin are not so common and we must salute the remarkable work of the small independent publishing house Utovie without it the work of this great historian today would be inaccessible, which would not displease the self-righteous. Former President Pompidou had accused Guillemin to delve into the dustbin of history! What exactly reproached him if not to look at what is not proper for people to see objects, that is to say the raw truth of the story, the facts as they occurred, men as they were not as dominant elites would do to represent. Trying to Guillemin Bonaparte is perhaps the most representative of his caustic approach to history, delivery up ideas without the slightest complacency. I wrote biography test and not because although this book generally follows the chronology of events, it has in any case intended to narrate in detail the life of Bonaparte. Others have done before and after more or less complacent and more rather than less (for a biography about objective, we will turn to Lefebvre). No, it is indeed a test on Bonaparte to try to understand how a small Corsican adventurer of Italian origin, of low birth, was able to take advantage of exceptional historical circumstances to take control of the greatest nation in Europe and develop its economic and military power in the service of his unquenchable thirst for power and wealth and embark on a wild adventure of brutal and bloody conquests that will eventually let ruined and battered fifteen years later. For we must be aware of the state of France in 1815, collapsed economy, catastrophic population drain (comparable to the first World War), narrowing of borders (land brought back to before 1792!), Foreign military occupation, in short the disaster total. What weight the prestige and glory of the past few military victories against the disastrous consequences of this warlike adventure. Because above all there is the sustainable use of French preponderance deletion, do not forget that France was the first power in Europe in the eighteenth century, French was the international language, throughout Europe spoke French. In what sense would have turned the story if France had been directed by reasonable rulers who have not abused their European neighbors and that would not foolishly sold Louisiana to the United States? No one will know. What is certain is that the fifteen-year Review of the reign of the "ogre" is désatreux and it is like this that have understood his contemporaries. For most striking perhaps in Guillemin's work is that ultimately it is not revolutionary, if one reads Chateaubriand, the judgment of the "usurper" is basically the same, even if the great writer keeps a real fascination for his incredible destiny and thus shows him some leniency. But soon oblivion misfortunes caregiver is a different view of history that will be written, the Golden Legend reality will supplant us to compose a very different Bonaparte. The work rewriting hagiographers historians (Masson, Bainville, Madelin and other Tulard) will weigh a considerable weight to the point that even today a majority of French still see in Bonaparte a French hero! The working Guillemin is a salutary lesson in history, it really puts things in place and restores the truth baffouée: - Not France was not bloodless Bonaparte in 1799 and did not come to save her but it was the instrument of a financial conspiracy that the Management Board policy, irritated - Not the Bank of France is not a great work but the abandonment by the state of its monetary prerogatives to a private bank (we see only too today the consequences of such a policy) - Not the Concordat is not a great work but the submission of the Church to the totalitarian grip of the State - Not the Civil Code is not the work of Bonaparte, it was almost entirely written at the time of its accession - Non Bonaparte was not disinterested but on the contrary a greed and rapacity of a limitless - Non Bonaparte was not austere morals but rather a sex maniac sickly
And the list could go on, in short, Guillemin dismantled, stone by stone decades of complacent hagiographies. One may also wonder why this sinister character has been so embellished by official history despite its disastrous balance sheet? The explanation seems pretty obvious, the nineteenth century, nationalist and bourgeois Bonaparte found in a heroic figure that suited the ruling elites; the brilliant military successes flattered nationalism and jingoistic spirit, especially after the debacle of 1870, just see about that how was celebrated the centenary of the great victories (when a Chirac, to do him justice , refused to celebrate the bicentenary of Austerlitz) the triumphant bourgeoisie found in this zealous servant of the silver figure of a hero perfectly in line with its values. Fortunately there are a few strong voices like those of Henry Guilemin for - looked like Cyrano - "ringing truths as spurs".
A word to conclude: Read Guillemin, is good, listening is even better because the man was a fascinating storyteller. This book served as frame to a television series broadcast on Télévision Suisse Romande (Guillemin was forbidden antenna Ortf, surprising!), These emissions can be viewed on the TSR website under the following link: [...] For those like me who hate deception in all its forms, viewing the archives is simply exhilarating.
PS: by reading this comment, I realize that this book is now available! However, we can order it directly on the site Utovie editions [...]
