5. (a) "Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them."- Napoleon Bonaparte. Stating examples mention the rulers (i) who have harmed society and country, (ii) who worked for the development of society and country. (150 Words) 10 M
Ans. (a)
Ans. (a)
- This great line of Napoleon perfectly fits on himself. Napoleon was a great leader, ruler and thinker. His role in the making of modern Europe is not match-able.
- Napoleon in the initial phase of his rule spread the ideas of equality and fraternity not only in France but also in whole of Europe as well. He was a man of great character and passion. He introduced major reforms in the society and economy of France like, he first introduced merit based system of recruitment, he maintained a balance between church and state. He also gave freedom to Jews and other minorities. He also introduced modern code of administration which is still used in France. He in a true sense was the founder of modern France.
- However in the later phase of his rule, he became a monarch and called himself the emperor of France. He started fighting not for equality, democracy and fraternity but for increasing his power in Europe through expansion. The later part of his rule was quite tyrannical which compelled the other European nations to start a war with him.
- Ultimately, he was defeated in the battle of water loo but his passion for expansion caused huge damage to the whole Europe.
- Therefore, it can be said that it all depends on the principles where the passion is to be used.