Napoleon was one of the Greatest Con-men in History.
Napoleon was one of the greatest tacticians in modern warfare. He was a ruthless adversary and an innovator in the use of cannons in warfare. He was also a cynical, selfish and manipulative con man.
Back in those times when a general or occasionally a common soldier did something particularly heroic, it was customary to reward that heroism with a choice tract of land- often in territory that had just been won, thus solidifying the hold on that territory by injecting a nobleman into the local society to stabilize it after conquest.
Stability was important after a conquest.
However war is a costly undertaking and there is only so much land to go around. In time, Napoleon was forced to give some thought to another sort of award for valor. It had to be inexpensive because …war is a high-priced endeavor- not simply in terms of lives, but cold, hard cash as well.
We see those rewards today all the time, because they persist to this day. While cynical, “a good idea is a good idea”…
I’m talking about service medals for the military. This was especially appropriate in his mind when awarding a low-born soldier. What would he do with a large tract of land? Would he have the knowledge and background to thoughtfully maintain it? Forget that many of the “higher” born, more privileged recipients were not so great at husbandry either, but again, in his mind, it made sense to give them land…Until there was a dearth of it.
That’s when he had an idea; an inspiration!
Then came medals. A scrap of colorful cloth, a bit of metal bestowed in a grand ceremony built up with pomp and formality and presto! We have an ennobling gesture by the leader on high to the little people who helped him get where he wanted to go.
Since all of Europe was warring at one time or another two hundred years ago or so, the idea caught on.
You’ve all probably heard that expression: “The floggings will continue until morale improves”. Well you can’t expect to improve morale with only a stick…there must be a carrot too… You need “subordinate buy- in”…you need “incentivization”. You get…the medal!
So next time you see a military uniform – and I’m not denigrating our Military for two seconds, they served with Honor and Distinction- with what looks like 12 pounds of medals prominently displayed on the left breast over the heart (here I’m especially thinking Russians and North Koreans), remember: 200 years ago, that guy would have been given at least a farm in recognition of their service. No one talks about it, but one of the biggest con-jobs in History is on display in nearly every military in the world. Napoleon thought of that: 25 cents worth of cloth and metal…okay, allow for inflation- $3 worth of metal and cloth instead of “land” for service. That is one heck of a con man.
