"A Roller Coaster Ride of an Empire"

For Monday, February 27th, I read an article discussing French plans to create a Napoleon based amusement park called Napoleonland (officially called Bivouac de Montereau) that will rival nearby EuroDisney. The plans for Napoleonland were announced earlier in February by Yves Jégo, the mayor of a small town southeast of Paris. The article discusses how in the face of a dispiriting presidential campaign, an anemic economy, a deepening social divide, and the 200th anniversary of Berezina (Napoleon's great loss in Russia that effectively ended his reign), it seemed like an odd time to announce plans for an amusement park such as Napoleonland; however, the French seem to be hoping that Napoleonland will spark the economy while simultaneously galvanizing a sense of national pride and purpose. The article additionally discusses Napoleonland's historical precedent, a theme park created at the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, which did stimulate the economy to a certain extent, but did so at the cost of heated debate due to the polarizing nature of the revolution. 

Questions that were asked in class were:
Do you think the creation of such an amusement park is justified? Is it a good idea in your opinions? How do you think the French will choose to present Napoleon's history? Do you think the French will censor certain facts or manipulate anecdotes to paint Napoleon in a better light and promote a sense of nationalistic pride? 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/opinion/sunday/the-empire-returns-at-napoleonland.html