Comparative Essay Sample: Napoleonic Wars, Cleopatra VII and Chinese Revolution

In my essay, I would like to compare three topics: Napoleonic wars, Cleopatra VII. And Chinese revolution 1911. I will highlight similarities between these topics and try to say as much as I can about each of them. Despite the fact that they did not happen at the same time, they share few things which are significant to mention.

They all have one thing in common: they tried to gain power by overthrowing a strong ruler. Cleopatra might seem as tender woman, but the opposite is true. She was stronger than most men in the past. In just 18-year-old she became a dominant ruler of Egyptian empire. She was wise and knew she needed Roman support, so she asked Caesar's help to pay her father's debts. I can't even imagine what a powerful empire would be created by uniting the kingdom of Cleopatra and Caesar. She was educated and attractive; she knew politics, geography and also taught herself Egyptian to communicate with people she was ruling. After Cleopatra's rule, Egypt became wealthy and strong country. She used her intelligence and femininity in the best interests of her country and also took advantage of Caesar and Mark Antony. Another negative effect was that she had caused her country's independence to be lost, as well as higher taxes.

Napoleonic wars lasted for over 15 years and are crucial events in history of Europe. After few victories, Napoleon became a powerful leader and wanted more. He started battles against shifting alliances of European powers. Never before having a European countries used such a massive mobilization of civil and military resources as they did in this era. It was almost impossible to predict his actions because of moving his army rapidly, attacking quickly, and defeating each of enemy units. The signing of the Treaty of Amines between France and Britain is often regarded as the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. Because Austria and Russia formed the Third Coalition and launched a war against France at Austerlitz in December 1805, Napoleon destroyed the combined Russo-Austrian army, which is considered his greatest victory. The turning point has to be a final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. The Napoleonic Wars, often referred as the "Coalition Wars," had political, economic, and social impact for most of the world in the late nineteenth century. With high tax rates, high living costs, and high unemployment rates, people were left in poverty and despair. Outcome of Napoleon spreading nationalism later caused World War. 

Chinese revolution was a nationalist democratic movement that destroyed the Qing (or Manchu) monarchy, declaring independence in China and ending the imperial system. The Wuchang Uprising, a military uprising involving members of the New Army, took place in October 1911, after the Qing Dynasty had fought for a long period to reorganize the government and stop foreign aggression. Finally, in the fall of 1911, the right combination of factors transformed a Wuchang movement into a nationalist uprising. Foreign investors in China stayed neutral during the conflict, but they were determined to preserve the treaty rights they had earned from the Qing of both the first and second opium wars. However, the United States was a strong supporter of the republican project, and it was one of the very first countries to establish full diplomatic relations with the new republic in 1913. Closely following: the Great Britain, Japan, and Russia. Late Imperial China was totally free of feudalism after the 1911 Revolution. In addition, there's been a significant increase in foreign cultural importance in China, including the technological development, medical tools, and the incorporation of western notions of art into paintings, architecture, and sculptures. This has benefited in the development of China's political system since the Chinese revolution in 1949.

In conclusion, I think every person or event that happened greatly affected our life today. Egypt is still strong because of the feminine figure as powerful as Cleopatra. I know she longed for power, causing war with her brother, but we can agree on a fact that she built a strong empire. Napoleon, on the other hand, used his power to gain respect by attacking other countries. Through his life, he showed us characteristics of legend and also tyrant. He is considered being one of the famous military leaders of history. His strategy is outstanding and way of thinking ahead of his opponents is just remarkable. During the existence of France and Europe, Napoleon played a significant part and had a huge impact on the future. Years of his life have fallen into a challenging time in France's history. After walking from the military academy to the imperial throne, he conquered most of European countries. And finally, Chinese revolution, I think it's important to say that it was very important for China. If it never happened, I cant imagine what China would look like. I believe that everything that happens, did for a reason.