MeghanSmith

5/4/15
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AbdelFattah
elSisiandNapoleonBonaparteEssay

AbdelFattah
elSisi,thecurrentpresidentofEgypt,canbecomparedtomany
instrumentalleadersinhistory.OnebeingNapoleonBonaparte,thedictatorlikeemperorof
Franceinthe18thcentury.ManysaythatNapoleoncannotbecomparedtoelSisiduetothe
differentcircumstancesassociatedwiththerevolutionstheyrosetopowerfrom.However,
theyaresimilarinmanyways.NapoleonandelSisiinahomogenousfashioncreatednew
governmentsfromtherubblesofrevolutions,werefavoredbythepublic,andusedthereligion
oftheirpeopletotheiradvantage.
BothelSisiandBonaparterosetopowerafterfallenrevolutions.Usingthelackof
organizationtotheirbenefit,theyattemptedtocreatenewgovernmentstopleasethepublic.
NapoleonwasknownforpromisingadifferentformofgovernmentthanwhattheFrenchhad
justrevoltedfromLouisXVIsreign.Althoughitisarguedwhetherornothesucceeded,
Napoleonsrolewastoratherbuildtheinstitutionswhichwouldrealisenewformsofequality
andopportunity(297).Thereasonforthesenewidealswasthelackoforganizationand
chaosleftbehindbytherevolutioncreatedbythepeople.Bycreatingformsofequalityforthe
people,Napoleonhadtakenthewishesofthepublicintoaccount.Similarly,elSisishifted
gearsfromthelastpresidencybyoverthrowingMohammedMorsi,aMuslimbrotherhood
memberandfifthpresidentofEgypt,andworkingtowardscreatingasecularstatedueto
populardemand.elSisicreatedanewsystemthatwasmuchneededafterMorsisoverthrow.
HehadsuspendedtheConstitutionandinstalledaninterimgovernmentpresidedoverbya
seniorjurist(
ArmyOustsEgyptsPresidentMorsiIsTakenIntoMilitaryCustody
,
Kirkpatrick).Bycreatingsecurityoutofchaos,elSisiwasabletocontroltheissueratherthan

allowingittodefaultbacktoanotherrevolution.Thisshowsthatbothoftheseleaders
promisedtobringordertothepotentiallycrumblingsocietiestheyassociatedwithby
innovation.
Favoritismalsoplaysamajorroleincomparingthetwoleaders.Asstatedbefore,both
leadersemergedfromtwomajorrevolutions.Bonapartehadcometopoweraftertwomain
authorityfigureshadbeenoustedandassassinated,andwasfavoredbythepublicduetohis
lackofdifferencebetweenhimselfandthepreviousleaders.NapoleonBonapartewasable
togainapprovalfrommajorityofthesocialclassesofFrancebecauseofhisdedicationtothe
postrevolutionideals.Manyarguethathewasonlydevotedtopersonalgain,andasthismay
betruetosomeextent,Napoleonstucktothoseidealsforthemostpart.Thelasting
contributionsofNapoleonBonapartewerethosemadewhenhispersonaldestinyconformed
withtheneedsofFranceanditsrevolutionaryhistory(294).Napoleonhadtohavethe
greatergoodofFranceinmindinordertoprogressinanyway,whichinturncreatedmore
enthusiastsforhisreign.elSisiwasalsofavoredinmanyways.SimilartoNapoleon
Bonaparte,elSisiwasputintopoweraftertwomainleaderswhichkickstartedtherevolution.
HosniMubarak,adictatorlikeleaderfor30years,andMohamedMorsi,thepresidentpriorto
elSisi,werebothprotestedagainstandexpelledbythegovernmentandthepeople.elSisi
wasfavoredbythepublicbecausehedidnotassociatewitheithertheMuslimBrotherhood
northeOldRegime.MrSisiincontrast[toMorsi]waswelcomedintothecourtwhohad
alreadyrevivedEgyptatatimewhensomehaddeclareditdead(
AtSwearingIn,
ExGeneralVowsInclusiveEgypt,
Kirkpatrick).Thismeansthatthepeoplehadalready
welcomedSisipriortohispresidencynotonlybecauseofhislackofconnectionwithany
religiousgroup,butalsobecauseofhisabilitytogetthingsdone.Thesemainleaderscanbe
comparedfortheirpopularitywiththepublicandtheirchoiceswithhowtousethatfavoritism.

Lastly,bothleadersusedthemainreligionoftheirpeopletotheiradvantage.France,
duringthe18thcentury,wasmostlypopulatedbyCatholics.Duringtherevolution,priests,
alongwiththeirchurches,weredestroyedduetotheEnlightenment.Thiswasaperiodoftime
whereintellectualscametotheconclusionthatGodwasnotthecreatorofallandsoon.
Napoleontookadvantageofthisforhispersonalgain.Knowingthatmanyofhispeoplewere
supportersoftheCatholicchurchhebegantosupportthefaith.Religionwasnotamatterof
doctrineorfaith,butitwasessentialforsocialcohesionandthesubordinationofthelower
classes(298).ThismeansthatwithBonapartethechurchwasntusedforfaithbutformore
socialpurposes,evenincludinghisowncampaign.elSisisimilarlyusedreligiontohis
benefit.However,inhiscase,hetriedtoabolishareligiousgroupratherthansupportit.This
religiousgroup,theMuslimBrotherhood,wasthegroupthatMorsibelongedtoandmillionsof
Muslims.InEgypt,manyopposedhavingIslamiclawplayaroleintheirgovernmentand
favoredtheideaofasecularstate.ThepeoplewerealsoopposedtotheBrotherhoodfortheir
violencetowardsnonMorsiactivistsandMorsihimselfduetothefactthathebrokehis
promisesofaninclusivegovernmentandrepeatedlydemonizedhisoppositionastraitors
(
ArmyOustsEgyptsPresidentMorsiIsTakenIntoMilitaryCustody
,Kirkpatrick).Therefore,
whenelSisioustedMorsi,thepublicwasthrilledwiththegeneral.Allinall,Napoleon
Bonaparteand
AbdelFattah
elSisiusedthepopularreligionoftheirtimetotheiradvantage.
Inconclusion,muchcanbecomparedbetweenthetwoleaders.Theirperformance
subsequentlytorevolutionscanbeseenasbothmanipulativeandstrategic,butalsoas
beneficiarytotheircountries.Personalgainalsoplaysamajorroleinbothofthesefigures
reignsandthepoliticsbehindthemaresimilaraswell.Theyusedreligionasatoolfortheir
benefits,andcreatednewgovernmentsusinginnovation.Ultimately,thesetwoleaders,
Abdel

Fattah
elSisiandNapoleonBonaparte,maynotbecompleteimagesofoneanother,butthey
canbecomparedtoeachotherinmanyways.