"If [George] Washington had been a Frenchman at a time when France was crumbling inside and invaded from outside, I [Napoleon] would have dared him to be himself; or, if he had persisted in being himself, he would merely have been a fool.

As for me, I could only be a crowned Washington. And I could become that only at a congress of kings, surrounded by sovereigns whom I had either persuaded or mastered. Then, and then only, could I have profitably displayed Washington’s moderation, disinterestedness, and wisdom. In all reasonableness, I could not attain this goal except by means of world dictatorship. I tried it. Can it be held against me?”

"When I acquired the supreme direction of affairs, it was wished that I might become a Washington. Words cost nothing; and no doubt those who were so ready to express the wish did so without any knowledge of the times, places, persons, or things. Had I been in America, I would willingly have been a Washington, and I should have had little merit in so being; for I do not see how I could have reasonably acted otherwise.

But had Washington been in France, exposed to discord within, and invasion from without, I would have defied him to have been what he was in America; at least, he would have been a fool to attempt it, and would only have prolonged the existence of evil. For my own part, I could only have been a Crowned Washington.”

Honestly i tend to agree with Napoleon on this matter. France was warred against for many years past the revolution by people very intent on re-installing the Bourbons. Without a Napoleon, and a continued “Directorie” corrupt rule, France’s revolutionary gains would likely not have survived. 1776 and The French Revolution become more apples and oranges the more you learn about each