Waterloo Changed The World, But For Better Or Worse?

Published June 18, 2015 at 1:52 PM EDT

Battle of Waterloo re-enactors walk near the Lion's Mound during a historical walk for journalists in Braine-l'Alleud, near Waterloo, Belgium. On Wednesday, June 17, 2015, four days of commemoration will begin on the historic battlefield, with the re-opening of Hougoumont farm and a reconstruction of the battle with more than 5,000 re-enactors. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

Today is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, which brought down Napoleon Bonaparte for good.

But even with 200 years perspective, historians disagree about Napoleon’s legacy. Some see him as a tyrant determined to build an empire at all costs. Others give him credit for introducing ideals such as public education and meritocracy that form the basis of modern society.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talks with historian and author Andrew Roberts about Napoleon’s complicated legacy.

Guest

Andrew Roberts, historian, visiting professor at King’s College, London and author of “Napoleon: A Life.”

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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