FWIW I'm British and over-30 years old and had until this week no idea what happened at Waterloo. Waterloo is a song by ABBA. I've heard the phrase "that was his Waterloo" but never known really what it meant.
My knowledge of Napoleon changed when this week I watched a TV program on the BBC praising him as a great leader, and another kids program which seemed even handed merely telling his history. I didn't even know that it was Wellington['s army] who faced off against Napoleon, despite Wellington being a name I've known since my earliest years [rubber boots which nearly all UK kids have are called 'Wellington boots'].
I've never seen Waterloo lauded or celebrated in Britain. YMMV I'd be interested to hear other perspectives, perhaps I've missed out?
By chance I happened to watch a recent show, again on the BBC this week, that included an aspect of the Battle of Waterloo - there I learnt 2 things: it was in Belgium and the British were surprised to win, the battle being extremely close. It was a fictional work but presented the battle as a very narrow victory and without celebration.
For my part I see now in Britain an undercurrent of feeling that the disparity between the haves and the have-nots is too great that seems to me like a continuation of the feeling that fomented the French revolution. As an ordinary Brit coming to this topic afresh I kinda see Napoleon as "our man" to some extent. The French Revolution has definitely been painted in our popular culture as nothing more than a violent and uncivilised scourge motivated more by blood lust and power hunger than anything else.
My knowledge of Napoleon changed when this week I watched a TV program on the BBC praising him as a great leader, and another kids program which seemed even handed merely telling his history. I didn't even know that it was Wellington['s army] who faced off against Napoleon, despite Wellington being a name I've known since my earliest years [rubber boots which nearly all UK kids have are called 'Wellington boots'].
I've never seen Waterloo lauded or celebrated in Britain. YMMV I'd be interested to hear other perspectives, perhaps I've missed out?
By chance I happened to watch a recent show, again on the BBC this week, that included an aspect of the Battle of Waterloo - there I learnt 2 things: it was in Belgium and the British were surprised to win, the battle being extremely close. It was a fictional work but presented the battle as a very narrow victory and without celebration.
For my part I see now in Britain an undercurrent of feeling that the disparity between the haves and the have-nots is too great that seems to me like a continuation of the feeling that fomented the French revolution. As an ordinary Brit coming to this topic afresh I kinda see Napoleon as "our man" to some extent. The French Revolution has definitely been painted in our popular culture as nothing more than a violent and uncivilised scourge motivated more by blood lust and power hunger than anything else.