Will Bonapartism Return to the West?
How a new Napoleon could arise in America.
Napoleon Bonaparte. The great American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson named him as one of six men representative of the zenith of man; the “Man of the World.” Born Napoleone Buonaparte into an obscure, minor noble family on the tiny (and oft-considered “backwards”) island of Corsica, he became Commander of the Army of Italy, Leader of the Egyptian Expedition, First Consul of France, and Emperor of the French. Almost no one in history had such a meteoric and dramatic rise to power.
Some say he was an evil tyrant. Some claim he was a necessary hero. But almost no one disagrees that Napoleon had one of the greatest impacts on the direction of the 19th century, if not modern history as a whole. Emerson’s aforementioned moniker, I believe, describes him well. Napoleon was as passionately loved as hated, as fervently supported as he was sabotaged. It is then no surprise that his style of rule, personal philosophy, and political ethos developed into an ideology, Bonapartism, with adherents remaining long after their leader was gone.
…Why am I discussing an ideology based on an 18th and 19th-century figure from France? He’s completely irrelevant, you scoff, gone the way of physiognomy and the four humors. I disagree. I believe Bonapartism is still quite intriguing and relevant, and I believe the conditions are currently ripe in America for an ideology like this to take hold.
What is Bonapartism?
In the modern age, Bonapartism is a homeless ideology; an idea with no party. It’s neither left-wing or right-wing, though I’m sure many pundits would mistakenly smear it as “far-right.” This is likely due to its nationalist elements. Bonapartism elevates the nation and its rulers to quasi-god status, and a great deal of work is put into cultivating the national myth.
Bonapartism is perhaps best described as a government for the people, but not by the people. Military and police power are quite strong. Social policy is characterized by meritocracy and ideas of fairness based on an honor code, rather than the more modern connotations of the word. Economic policies are derived from meritocratic ideals and high nationalist sentiment, meaning that aspects of capitalism exist, but industry can certainly be controlled by the sovereign to nationalist ends.
Bonapartism tends to be authoritarian, but selectively; it is not iron-fist authoritarianism. Learning and reason are also values that are heavily present. Significantly, Bonapartism is not strongly tied to any ethnic group or race—more recent examples of Bonapartist leaders include Indonesia’s Sukarno and Burma’s General Ne Win. Essential to Bonapartism is that the ruler has been inculcated with the values of the nation and promulgates its history and heritage; purely a sense of power or duty is not sufficient for the optimal Bonapartist state. In short, Bonapartists believe in dictatorial power but to republican ends; in a form of proto-monarchy but not tyranny.
Central to Bonapartism is a unified national ethos’ creation and maintenance. The populace’s permissiveness of many of the more authoritarian elements of Bonapartism hinges on the strength of the populace’s nationalist fervor. On a metaphysical level, a unified national ethos creates shared values underpinning all facets of society and is a powerful incentive for selfless action. Culture in a Bonapartist society is often modeled after classical antiquity. Indeed, the classics are subtly, and sometimes not-so-subtly, integrated into Bonapartism. This is not surprising when one examines the fact that Napoleon looked up to Alexander the Great and Caesar as quasi-gods; Napoleon was even called “Caesarist” by his contemporaries.
Napoleon Arrives in America
Almost no one disagrees that it is a tumultuous time in the United States. Divisions in society are becoming rapidly more pronounced, more extreme, and more accepted. If people find it harder to put food on their tables, discontent will grow exponentially. Even scratching the surface of the study of history will reveal to you that when economic decline reaches crisis levels, that is the decisive factor for drastic political change.
“The reaction to “bugman” society could easily find its home in the more refined cultural palate of Bonapartism.”
People on all sides are becoming more and more desperate and believing that maybe it is a necessity to disregard neoliberal democratic processes. Fillibusters? Supermajorities? Throw them out. All of this is setting the stage for a populace much more willing to potentially accept a Napoleon. The cultural situation also invites this type of leader: those opposed to the continuous liberalization of culture and continuous “progress” will increasingly turn towards reactionary politics and intellectuals as such “progress” accelerates. Nationalism and a demand for a shared ethnos will become stronger; a Bonaparte-esque figure, with stirring rhetoric and “common-sense” policies, will begin to look more appealing.
Bonapartism pulls elements of familiar Western ideologies together and adds a dash of honorific/classical/enlightenment/romanticist culture. The United States already has a robust tradition of national legend-making—from the last stand at the Alamo to the beaches of Normandy—and Enlightenment thought has deep roots in the country. Many disillusioned with current American culture and capitalism may find solace in the martial and honorific character of Bonapartism. This is especially so as backlash grows over the real and perceived degeneration and commodification of culture. The reaction to “bugman” society could easily find its home in the more refined cultural palate of Bonapartism.
When Napoleon became First Consul of France after the Coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, the country had been experiencing executive dysfunction and turmoil for years. The people were weary. The same could easily be said of America today, yet France did not have the added variable of the simultaneously amplifying and distortive power of social media. The prominence of social media does indeed complicate the potential rise of Bonapartism in the United States—if Bonapartism rises in America on the heels of a Napoleonic figure, social media will prove to be indispensable.
However, if the ideology of Bonapartism is brought upon the nation by a figure weaker than Napoleon, who was skilled in propaganda, social media will easily be used against the Bonapartist figure. Those who control information on social media are likely to not benefit in a Bonapartist government, as Big Tech would likely be purged and replaced. Thus, it is easy to see how neoliberal, globalist tech tycoons will be opposed to Bonapartism and seek to suppress it.
Life Under Bonapartism
So, the conditions are right in America for Bonapartism to at least have a chance, but could it govern successfully? Even if a Napoleon could seize absolute power in the United States, they would likely face many difficulties with pockets of a resistant populace (despite the populist elements of Bonapartism). While I do believe a sovereign could come to power in America, it would be a difficult and rocky time. Governing such a large and diverse country of 350+ million with a much stronger central government presents additional challenges. Cultural initiatives would attempt to amend this, like creating a unified national spirit, but even that is not guaranteed to have any success.
Bonapartism is an eccentric ideology yet a relevant one. It has a small chance of taking hold in America, I believe, but its favorable outcomes once a leader is installed would be questionable. We will just have to see.
We tend to think we are past the age of major political change and revolution, past the age of kings or dictators, but as cultural and economic conditions deteriorate, it would be a mistake to not consider the possibility. Just like the Europeans had to keep their eye on that pesky, indefatigable Napoleon, so too should we understand Bonapartism as a hidden player on the political scene—exiled to the fringes of Western society but scheming, always scheming, on return, revenge, and glory.
Read more of Brock’s writing on Substack.
