Napoleon’s influence on modern western military armies free essay sample

Throughout history, military leaders have immortalized their legacies by vanquishing their enemies in the battlefield against overwhelming odds. Soldiers and historians have revered their accomplishments by studying their mastery in the art of warfare with the hopes mimicking their accomplishments. Of them all, Napoleon Bonaparte is considered the best military leader in the history of the Western World and has been the most influential with the development of modern day Western armies. According to Knox, â€Å"military revolutions are changes in the nature and purpose of war itself. Napoleons military tactics and strategy have revolutionized European warfare during the 1800s. His use of nationalism, military organizational structure, and combined arms were key factors that helped his juggernaut army conquer most of Europe. The French system led the way for Europes military modernization and is modeled by the modern day U. S. Army whose military victories and failures have strong familiarities. We will write a custom essay sample on Napoleon’s influence on modern western military armies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The French Revolution resulted in the overthrow of King Louis XVI and the monarchy. It gave rise to nationalism to a heightened level that has never been witnessed in Europe. It unified the people under a profound sense of liberty and a sacred love of the country. French citizens willingly volunteered their services into establishing battalions and answered their nation’s call to arms. 2 They were determined to protect this new nation of the people. It changed its military from being dynastic, private armies, as they had been in Fredericks day, to being national, public armies. 3 The officer corps which was only privileged to the nobility was 1. Macgregor Knox, Mass Politics and Nationalism as Military Revolution: The French Revolution and after. In The Dynamics of Military Revolution 1300-2050, ed. Macgregor Knox and Williamson Murray (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 57. 2. John A. Lynn, Nations in Arms. in The Cambridge History of Warfare, ed. Geoffrey Parker (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 196. 3. Thomas Huber, The Rise of Napoleon (paper presented at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Lee, Virginia, February 6-7, 2014). 2 now open to commoners. Rank progression was now based off of skills and merit rather than birth right or status. Soldiers were now loved and valued by the people. â€Å"Common soldiers were now expected to display the same kind of commitment once reserved only to officers. †4 Like the Napoleonic army, the modern day U. S. Army is an all volunteer force. Both armies enforced the draft when personnel strength was in need to support a difficult campaign. The U. S Armys officer corps is open to all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, and gender. Rank promotion is based off of performance and standards. Soldiers are respected and loved by their country. The U. S. Army emphasizes the importance of the professional soldier whose core principles is in accordance with the Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. It expects its soldiers to live up to the demands and expectations of their countrymen. The aftermath of the French Revolution forced Europe to face a powerful new nation that promoted democracy and nationalism. This powerful movement challenged the monarchy and threatened the stability and security of neighboring countries. France went to war with its enemies in order to secure its survival. Napoleons leadership ensured France survival and led his armies on a warpath to dominate most of Europe. He accomplished this by first transforming its military organizational structure. It improved the efficiency of controlling large armies. â€Å"The breaking up of the formerly unitary army into permanent divisions and corps were fundamental to Napoleon’s strategy and his conduct of battle. The expansion of his staff, and the proliferation of subordinate staffs, already under way in the last campaigns of the Old Regime, made possible 4. John A. Lynn, Nations in Arms.  in The Cambridge History of Warfare, ed. Geoffrey Parker (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 189. 3 the control of constantly larger and more widely dispersed forces. †5 According to Lynn, by subdividing his army into corps, Napoleon enhanced command and control. It improved logistics, since several corps operating along separate lines of advance could supply themselves more easily than could a single large army operating along a single route. 6 In addition to the forming of corps and divisions, Napoleon created brigade and army levels of commands. This unique military organizational structure allowed him to effectively move his large armies and outmaneuver his enemies. Like the French, the U. S. Army’s military organizational structure consists of armies, corps, divisions, brigades, and battalions. The only exception is the regional commands that it uses. Each command level organization consists of a robust staff that assists commanders with developing plans and executing orders. This organizational structure provides an efficient method of commanding and controlling from the lowest to the highest level of commands. The transformation of the French military organizational structure provided better command and control for large armies. However, its use of combined arms allowed the French to annihilate their enemies in the battlefield. â€Å"The French had pioneered the use of combat division, combining infantry, cavalry, and artillery to create a small army of a few thousand men which could operate either independently or in conjunction with other divisions†7 For the first 5. Peter Paret Napoleon and the Revolution in War. In The Makers of Modern Strategy, 123-142. ed. Peter Paret (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 198), 125.John A. Lynn, Nations in Arms. in The Cambridge History of Warfare, ed. Geoffrey Parker (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 202. 7. Idib. 4 time in history, infantry units could be supported by artillery in all phases of combat. 8 While his enemies used cavalry to harass enemy formations, Napoleon used his cavalry as a flanking element in support of h is infantry by charging into them with maximum force. He realized the importance of artillery and increased its numbers. 9 His combined arms army was capable of facing and defeating much larger enemy formations. It allowed commanders to quickly flank his enemies, maximize his fields of fire, and destroy enemy formations by simultaneously unleashing his combat capabilities. In comparison, the U. S. Army has various combined arms units to fight its nations wars. Of them all, the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) is the countrys primary combat unit. The BCTs are organized depending on their mission requirements. They are either Armored, Infantry, or Stryker BCTs. They all consists of at least three light or mechanized infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, one field artillery battalion, and two support battalions. BCTs provide commanders the flexibility to maneuver a small and formidable force that is capable of unleashing devastating fire power. Regardless of their rank, soldiers in the heat of battle are able to coordinate air, artillery, and other enablers in order to destroy their enemies. The U. S. and Napoleons use of combined arms in conjunction with a more structured military organization and nationalism have proven to be effective in defeating their enemies. However, its effectiveness proved to have its limits against unconventional forces who refused to fight like professional armies.8. Peter Paret Napoleon and the Revolution in War. In The Makers of Modern Strategy, 123-142. ed. Peter Paret (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 198), 125. 9. John A. Lynn, Nations in Arms. in The Cambridge History of Warfare, ed. Geoffrey Parker (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 201. 5 By 1818, Napoleon conquered most of Europe. He was able to conquer Spain within a month that same y ear. However, he soon realized that his mighty army had its limits when fighting against Spanish insurgents who refused to fight the French in the battlefield. The French viewed the guerrillas as poorly organized bands of thugs and refused to see the serious threat they posed. 10 The guerillas had full support from their Spanish brethrens, excellent knowledge of the terrain, and an ample supply of recruits who viciously hated the French occupiers. The Spanish guerillas eventually evolved into hardened warriors after continuous training and engagements against French forces. 11 Time being on their side, the Spaniards grew stronger as the French grew weaker. The French were unsuccessful in defeating the Spanish guerillas. The U. S. Army is in a similar situation with its war in Afghanistan and with its recent operation in Iraq. The U. S. Army has proven its military might by easily destroying the Iraqi military in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and destroying the majority of Taliban forces in Afghanistan in support of Operating Enduring Freedom. However, the U. S. Army underestimated the capabilities of the insurgents in both countries. Time was on their side of the insurgents who were winning the propaganda war. Their determination to win the war against the infidels seemed to grow in strength regardless of the countless battles they lost. Like Napoleons army in Spain, the U. S. Army was trying to defeat an enemy that had support from the majority of the local population and had access to an abundant source of recruits to support their jihad. The insurgents learned from their mistakes, understood the tactics of coalition 10. Don W. Alexander, French Military Problems in Counterinsurgent Warfare in Northeastern Spain, 1808-1813 (paper presented at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Lee, Virginia, February 10, 2014). Don W. Alexander, French Military Problems in Counterinsurgent Warfare in Northeastern Spain, 1808-1813 (paper presented at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Lee, Virginia, February 10, 2014). 6 forces, and improved in their abilities to fight the infidels. Like the French before them, the U. S. Army faced tremendous struggles in defeating the insurgents in both countries. Napoleons military organizational structure, use of combined arms, and nationalism allowed his armies to easily conquer most of Europe. His system forced Europe to revolutionize its military warfare in accordance with the French in order to match their abilities in the battlefield. Its influence in changing European warfare continues to have influence in todays military. To this day, the U. S. Army continues to follow Napoleons system with an all volunteer army with the ability to initiate a draft, possesses combined arms capabilities through BCTs, and follows a multi-leveled command structure through armies, corps, brigades, and battalions. Both armies have demonstrated similar victories against conventional armies, but have proven to be extremely challenging against non-nation states. Napoleons failures with insurrectionists in Spain are similar to the U. S. Army’s struggles against radical Islamists in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is clear that the tools used by both Western Powers must be altered or modified in order to defeat unconventional military forces. 7

Fahrenheit451 essays

Fahrenheit451 essays In the book, Guy Montag, the main character, begins to question the things around him when he meets a local girl. He quickly feels comfortable with her and they begin to have discussions about mundane things that seem to open up Montags eyes. Then one day, the girl is gone. In a short few weeks, he had become dependant on the girls company. Once she is gone, he finds himself changed by having known her. When he goes to work on one of the following days, there is a fire alarm. He and the other fireman rush to answer the call, and discover an old woman in a house with books and magazines in her attic. They quickly gather the illegal materials together, and douse them in kerosene. They are trying to coax the crazy woman out of the house, when she brings out a match. Guy stays and tried to talk her out of it, but is unsuccessful. This experience haunts him all night and into the next day. He doesnt go to work the next day, and his boss, Beatty, knows why. I think that this crazy woman is a representation of the beliefs of the Salem witch trials. People all around them were calling them devil worshipers and telling them that they were going to hell. Even though they knew it would be certain death, as did the crazy lady, they stood fast with their beliefs and died for them. She represents a courage that most common people dont have. She knew that she had to be true to herself. Beatty comes to Guys house and tells him the truth about the origin of firemen. He tells him that people before the civil war were very simple. They had books, but it didnt really matter because there was no mass to it. Once the technological revolution came about, people stopped wanting all the excess that was included in the book. People became more interested in the snap ending, the quick pay-off. Because of this, people began to neglect teaching things lik ...

Apple And Its Customer Product Service Marketing Essay

Apple And Its Customer Product Service Marketing Essay Introduction Strategic management involves the analysing of organizational tactics and factors that may contribute to results or performance. In view of achieving this, organizational culture must be looked at as it greatly forms the base of establishing good strategic management. In this essay, we will find out what defines organizational culture and its importance, its impact on strategic management, how the public views the culture and how the culture has affected its strategic decisions, choices, options, etc. We will also discuss about some successful companies and organizations to showcase their organizational culture to see how it has worked for them. Organizational Culture Oxford dictionary distinctly states that organisation is, â€Å"an organized group of people with a particular purpose, such as a business or government department.† (Oxford 2012) Culture on the other hand is, â€Å"the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.† (Oxford 2012) Organizational culture is then therefore essentially based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs or written and unwritten rules which the organization has developed over time and that have worked well enough to be considered valid. Factors of organizational culture that will be discussed are the company’s structure, decision making empowerment, the company’s hierarchy and employee commitment towards company goals. Depending on how these factors are effectively diffused through the company, the productivity and performance of the company will be affected directly as these factors serve as guidelines for customer care, safety, product quality, etc. They may also extend to marketing and advertising practices and to new innovations. Apple and its customer/product service To help us understand better, we will now look at a company which has an outstanding organizational culture in its customer/product service. Apple is a company that is very user/customer orie nted. When someone buys an apple product be it a MacBook or an iPod, they are guaranteed excellent customer/product service after they make their purchase. A standard warranty of at least one year is issued upon purchase and its offer is that the entire product can be sent for a ‘one-for-one’ exchange if the product is found to be faulty (Apple 2012). â€Å"A guarantee is not only an assurance that things will go right – it’s a promise that you will make things right if they ever do go wrong† (Kaufman 2012, p.168).Aside from the mandatory warranty on all products, all Apple products are able to be linked up online via iTunes for many updates and product software upgrades (Apple 2012). This culture of having the products constantly up to date even after purchase is a critical one which makes Apple stand out by keeping users constantly updated to the newest trends in IT and enables the user to accessibly and efficiently receive updates and upgrades fr om the internet. Denove and Power IV (2007, p.200) state to â€Å"Reach out to your customers and don’t wait for them to contact you. Smart companies proactively create and sustain a steady line of communications with customers.† This maintains the relationship that Apple has with the customer not only through the purchase of the product but throughout the customer’s entire usage of the product. Also, product servicing centres are available in several areas and are known as Epi Centres. At these places, any Apple product can be sent for servicing, warranty exchanges or troubleshooting, depending on the problem.

Synthesize a biology topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Synthesize a biology topic - Essay Example The DNA is the repository of information relating to an organism. Forensic science has utilized this fact to conduct DNA testing of blood samples, which identifies a person without any room for ambiguity. The importance of DNA in studies relating to medicine and evolution is cardinal. DNA and genes are consequential for inheritance, disease, evolution and biodiversity. Specifically, I have been much impressed by DNA replication which could provide a cure for a number of incurable or intractable diseases. Several breakthroughs in cancer therapy have been achieved, on account of DNA replication. DNA replication has great significance for the heredity. In the furtherance of this function, a cell has to utilize hereditary information. Replication ensures transmission of such vital hereditary information. On occasion, hereditary information is not transmitted verbatim, and some changes are effected to the DNA. This results in biodiversity and evolution. At times, such change makes it possible to even find cures for chronic ailments. Thus, the practical value of DNA replication is undeniable. The transmission of hereditary characteristics from one generation to another is effected by genes, which in turn consist of DNA. Replication of the latter results in the copying of genes, which is a semi conservative process that uses just one strand as a pattern for subsequent new strands. Deviations in the replication process have profound effects on human health, and could even lead to diseases like cancer. DNA technology has resulted in crops and vegetables that have higher yield, are more nutritious, better able to withstand disease and drought, and have a longer shelf life. The stability of the genome is not possible in the absence of accurate DNA replication; and the S – phase checkpoint mechanism stops this process, immediately on detecting errors. Resumption of replication is dynamically controlled by the protein Ddk. Any inaccuracy in the DNA

Article Rebuttal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Rebuttal - Essay Example The views of Mr. Mackey are one dimensional and lack a sense of ethics. His argument is weak since he does not provide any empirical evidence that philanthropy is bad for business. My perspective regarding this issue is the complete opposite of Mr. Mackey. As a customer anytime I see a company donating money to a good cause such as world hunger I get excited about the initiate. The good deed stays in my mind and when I go shopping if I see any products produced by that company I am inclined towards supporting the firm. The use of social responsibility adds value to the brand of a corporation. John Mackey seems to believe that the only purpose of going into business is making money. He fails to realize that each corporation has a different reason for existence. The man that was once the richest person in the world, Bill Gates, has donated billions of dollars generated by Microsoft towards social causes. The company is still the market leader in the software industry. Shareholders do not mind when a company that is profitable shares some of the wealth with the less fortunate members of our society. John Mackey went as far as saying that donating money towards social causes is stealing money from the investors. This view is completely biased and does not represent the views of the majority of businesspeople in the United States and abroad. I think that by making these absurd statements Mr. Mackey is the one that is decreasing the shareholder value of the company. As a customer I would not support any company with a management team that has such a greedy perspective in life. There are many problems our global society is facing. The majority of the world’s wealth is not in the hands of the 210 governments of the world. The private corporations have hundreds of trillions of dollars in wealth. Our society depends on the generosity and good intentions of the corporate world. In the United States corporations can deduct up to 5% of net income if they

Prison system of the 18th and the early 19th century Essay Example for Free

Prison system of the 18th and the early 19th century Essay In the early 1800s, state prisoner were leased to Florida companies where they were often worked as slave labor. Mart Taber was a young prisoner convicted of stealing a ride on a freight train. He died as a result of the brutal treatment administered by a lumber company boss to whom he was leased. The prison system of the 1800s and the early 1900s was based on cruel and inhumane treatment. Punishment was very tragic. The prisoners were treated as animal and consider less of inhuman because of their lawlessness. They were made to right the wrongs that they have committed either trough physical pain, endure mutilation, torture, mulcted in fines, deprive of liberty, adjudges as slave or even put to death. The American prison as we know began in New York in the early 19th century. Reformation was the goal of the founders of the system. During the colonial period and in the early years of the nation, long-term imprisonment was not a common form of punishment in prison. Instead, execution was the prescribed penalty for a wide range of offenses. People who committed less serious offenses faced public punishment such as pillorying, whipping and maiming. At the beginning of the 19th century, imprisonment had replaced public punishment and execution as a form of punishment for most crimes, except murder and treason. The early places of imprisonment ranged from wood frame houses to copper mine, such as the Connecticut prison in 1790. Then, in the early 19th century two concepts of imprisonment were introduced in New York and Pennsylvania, including what the structures should look like and how they should be operated, Few people had any idea what the structures should look like or how they should be administered. (The Evolution of the New YorkPrison System, Part I. Page1) These institutions were not only meant to be houses of convicted criminals, they also had the objective of reforming inmates into temperate, industrious, hard-working citizens and return them to their societies as new men. Sentences were long enough to allow the prison system its program of reformation. In Pennsylvania, the prison system of reformation was to separate the inmate and provide him with a small room and a exercise area totally isolated from  the human companionship Only in the purity of complete isolation could be the corruption be overcome and the restoration of faith and honesty be attained (The Evolution of the New YorkPrison System, Part I. Page2) After an appropriate period of total isolation and inactivity, the prisoner was allowed to small bits of handicraft work and a Bible in his cell. The inmate was not allowed to see another prisoner. The founders of the prison system believed that isolation was the only way for a prisoner is rehabilitated. Prison system of the 18th and early 19th century left a reasonable quantity of dead prisoners and also physical abuse to the inmate. The crime that any prisoner has committed doesnt justify the cruel and inhumane treatment they receive in jail. If the founders of the prison system from that time of period wouldnt have been so cruel, they would had avoid so many death and people being maltreated. Instead of merciless punishment they should had given them social work as their sentence and should had taken advantage from the prisoners keeping in mind that they are human beings.

Economy Of Russia :: essays research papers

The phase in the business cycle that Russia is in is Prosperity. Prosperity is the high point of the business cycle. The Gross Domestic Product is 796 billion dollars. Russia is partners with Germany in exporting and importing. The number of imports is 33 billion and the number of exports are 66 billion. The National Budget is 56.6 billion dollars. They have 1 radio per 2.9 people. They also have 1 Telephone per 5.9 people. Russia’s education is free and compulsory through ages 7 to 17. The unemployment rate is 8 percent. The inflation rate is 85 percent and possibly more if monetary policy is relaxed. Russia was mostly an agricultural country until the late 19th century, when industrialization began, in European Russia. Economic development was then interrupted by World War 1 and the Civil War that followed. Modern development was initiated by Stalin, whose frantic industrialization drive in the 1930’s made the Soviet Union an industrial giant. Under Stalin and his successors, the less settled frontier regions of Central Asia and Siberia were developed. Several of the world’s largest dams were built on in the former Soviet Union, and the world’s first atomic station was opened in 1954. By the 1980’s about 40 nuclear reactors were operating in the Soviet Union. In the late 1970’s the economic backwardness of the Soviet Union had become so self evident that no amount of political propaganda could obscure it. Western developed countries began to enter the Information Age, introducing new communication technologies and electronic links among institutions and individuals. The Soviet Union still relied on the rigid planning and pervasive controls, leaving no room for initiative and inventiveness. When Mikhail Gorbachev became head of the party in 1985, the huge country began to move. Gorbachev surrounded himself with a number of reform-minded economists and soon formulated the main pillars of economic restructuring called perestroika. The major goals of perestrioka were to make Soviet enterprises more self-governing and to give them more freedom, while at the same time, more responsibility for their performance. In the planned economy before perestroika, all enterprises were totally dependent on central planners, who determined where to buy materials, what to produce, and where to sell it. This system encouraged inefficiency, because the companies did not have to compete with any other companies.