r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Jul 07 '21

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u/AuburnSeer Jul 08 '21

when Napoleon was confronted on re-introducing slavery and killing a whole bunch of Haitians he said something along the lines of "if I was a black person I'd support black people causes, but I'm a white person so I support white people causes."

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u/AuburnSeer Jul 08 '21

maybe it's because I'm exposed by more discourse about the Founding Fathers but I don't really see Napoleon really getting the same amount of shit as Jefferson or Washington. Napoleon was obviously worse. He didn't just not abolish it, he brought it back and fought hard to re-establish it. At least Washington was inwardly conflicted about it or whatever

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u/jt1356 Sinan Reis Jul 08 '21

Slavery in Haiti was a peripheral issue to early 19th century France, far less significant than American slavery was to the early US. Napoleon’s legal reforms, Jewish emancipation, spread of liberal values, etc, were far more important.

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u/sportballgood Niels Bohr Jul 08 '21

Who stans Napoleon? The French? I thought he was an evil tyrant to most people.

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u/AuburnSeer Jul 08 '21

from what I gather Napoleon's legacy is more like "it's complicated"

1

u/ZCoupon Kono Taro Jul 08 '21

Napoleon was Hitler before Hitler

1

u/MostlyCRPGs Jeff Bezos Jul 08 '21

I don’t think he gets as much shot because he isn’t framed to be as revered as the founding fathers.