Dwarkesh Podcast

Alexander Mikaberidze - Napoleon, War, Progress, and Global Order

Jul 13, 2022

Alexander Mikaberidze, a Professor of History at Louisiana State University and author of "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History," delves into the vast effects of the Napoleonic Wars on different regions, including India and the Americas. He discusses Napoleon's role as an enlightened despot and speculates on whether he could have thrived as a startup founder. The conversation also explores how these wars fueled the industrial revolution, parallels with the conflict in Ukraine, and the enduring impacts on governance and political structures around the world.

01:23:10

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Episode guests

Alexander Mikaberidze

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Episode notes

Intro

3min

Global Echoes of the Napoleonic Wars

20min

Napoleon's Reforms: Legacy and Complexity

24min

Cycles of Conflict and Leadership

25min

Evolving Governance: A Comparative Analysis

3min

War's Influence on the French Revolution

6min

The Importance of a Global Perspective in Historical Analysis

3min

Alexander Mikaberidze is Professor of History at Louisiana State University and the author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History.

He explains the global ramifications of the Napoleonic Wars - from India to Egypt to America. He also talks about how Napoleon was the last of the enlightened despots, whether he would have made a good startup founder, how the Napoleonic Wars accelerated the industrial revolution, the roots of the war in Ukraine, and much more!

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Episode website + Transcript here. Follow Professor Mikaberidze on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter for updates on future episodes.

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Timestamps:

(0:00:00) Alexander Mikaberidze - Professor of history and author of “The Napoleonic Wars”

(0:01:19) - The allure of Napoleon

(0:13:48) - The advantages of multiple colonies

(0:27:33) - The Continental System and the industrial revolution

(0:34:49) - Napoleon’s legacy.

(0:50:38) - The impact of Napoleonic Wars

(1:01:23) - Napoleon as a startup founder

(1:14:02) The advantages of war and how it shaped international government and to some extent, political structures.

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