Question

Napoleon said: “When we fight, no matter in what country, it is a civil war we make.” Do you agree with him? If yes or no why? Use examples through to solidify your answer.

Answer 1

This line is part of the “Military Maxims of Napoleon”, a collection of tenets on the art of war which are still an inspiration for military students. Through this line, he makes his war beliefs and tactics clear. We should also consider the meaning of civil war: it is a war which if fought between different groups of people (different in religion, political ideas, etc) of the same territory. Having this in mind we can mention for example The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). They consisted in a series of battles between France and other European powers, financed and usually led by the United Kingdom. Among these we can mention The Battle of Waterloo 1815, the Battle of Trafalgar 1805, etc.

I agree in the sense that inevitably whenever there is a war there are 2 groups of a different nature, sharing the territory but fighting for a reason. I also believe that the “civil war they make wherever they fight” does not necessarily imply military participation. Nowadays, we see many countries, mainly Latin American ones, in which the different economic and political conflicts (“wars”) produce a gap and a clash between different national or local groups (“civil war”).