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by simonsarris
1759 days ago
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Minor but annoying: Napoleon didn't say that and didn't mean it like that. When introducing the Légion d’Honneur (open to civilians too), the first introduction of an honor since the French Revolution, some on the left complained that this reintroduction violated the revolutionary concept of social equality. In 1802 when discussing the creation of it, Théophile Berlier sneered at the concept as merely baubles, and Napoleon replied: "You tell me that class distinctions are baubles used by monarchs, I defy you to show me a republic, ancient or modern, in which distinctions have not existed. You call these medals and ribbons baubles; well, it is with such baubles that men are led. I would not say this in public, but in a assembly of wise statesmen it should be said. I don't think that the French love liberty and equality: the French are not changed by ten years of revolution: they are what the Gauls were, fierce and fickle. They have one feeling: honour. We must nourish that feeling. The people clamour for distinction. See how the crowd is awed by the medals and orders worn by foreign diplomats. We must recreate these distinctions. There has been too much tearing down; we must rebuild. A government exists, yes and power, but the nation itself - what is it? Scattered grains of sand." He went on that in order to ameliorate that sand, "We must plant a few masses of granite as anchors in the soil of France." His phrase "it is with such baubles that men are led" (and your paraphrase) are often quoted out of context as something cynical, but Napoleon was actually commending these things as the physical manifestations of honor. If he's cynical about something, it's the liberty and equality bits. |
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https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Rfl9mwoQBzkC/page/n93/mod...
The line after "We must plant a few masses of granite as anchors in the soil of France" ("Nous sommes maîtres de la faire , mais nous ne l’avons pas, et nous ne l’aurons pas, si nous ne jetons pas, sur le sol de la France, quelques masses de granit.") is perhaps an even more cynical take in light of the French Revolution that directly preceded Napoleon's rise.
> Croyez-vous qu’il faille compter sur le peuple? Il crie indifféremment Vive le roi, vive la ligue! Il faut donc lui donner une direction, et avoir pour cela des instruments.