Apakah Napoleon Gagal Karena Cuaca Dingin atau Pasukannya Terus Mabuk Setiap Hari?

In Ridley Scott’s historical masterpiece “Napoleon,” featuring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular French conqueror, a fabricated scene unfolds as Napoleon commands his soldiers to aim cannons at the pyramids in the deserts of Egypt.

Despite being called out by historians for historical inaccuracies, this dramatic portrayal is just one aspect of Scott’s sensational storytelling, reminiscent of his work in “Gladiator,” where Phoenix also played a prominent role.

Pada tahun 1798, tentara kekaisaran Prancis, yang dipimpin oleh Napoleon Bonaparte, menginvasi Mesir setelah merebut pelabuhan Mediterania di Malta. Invasi tersebut bertujuan untuk mengganggu jalur perdagangan antara India dan Inggris sekaligus membangun dominasi Prancis di Timur Tengah.

Interestingly, Napoleon’s encounter with the Egyptians took an unexpected turn, with his tentara mulai menyukai ganja, a love that prompted him to ban the substance eventually. This incident, however, was just one peculiar episode during Napoleon’s expedition into Asia Minor.

Napoleon menghadapi tantangan unik di Mesir—bukan dari penduduk setempat, namun dari ketertarikan mereka terhadap ganja. Daripada memaksakan adat istiadat Perancis, Napoleon menganjurkan untuk merangkul budaya lokal.

Pasukan Prancis, termasuk para cendekiawan dan ilmuwan, perpustakaan-perpustakaan mapan, dan pusat-pusat penelitian, yang menunjukkan minat tulus terhadap beragam tradisi dan penemuan dunia Islam.

Karena tidak mendapatkan minuman anggur dan minuman keras khas Prancis, para prajurit beradaptasi dengan adat istiadat setempat, mempelajari dunia ganja.

They explored the cafés, markets, and lounges where the substance was prevalent, fostering a cultural exchange that contributed to Western Europe’s evolving perspective on cannabis. Napoleon’s approach to embracing local culture, despite the initial clash with hashish, added a unique dimension to the historical narrative of his campaign in Egypt.

Contrary to the legend that Napoleon banned hashish due to his soldiers being too stoned to fight, this notion is as much a misconception as Ridley Scott’s film. In reality, hashish was not outlawed until after the campaign’s conclusion, and Napoleon himself didn’t enact the ban but by one of his generals.

The primary objective wasn’t to safeguard French citizens from the drug’s perceived harm but rather to assert control over Egypt and Syria by fostering internal strife among their inhabitants.

As elucidated by Ryan Stoa in his article “A Brief Global History of the War on Cannabis” for The MIT Press Reader, hashish in Egypt was associated with Sufi mystics and viewed negatively by the Sunni elite.

Jenderal Jacques-François Menou, yang ditugaskan oleh Napoleon untuk memerintah Mesir, melihat pelarangan ganja sebagai peluang untuk mengatasi masalah kesehatan masyarakat sekaligus mendapatkan persetujuan dari mertua elit Sunni-nya.

Cairo’s Hash Market Resilience

Issued in 1800, Menou’s decree is often regarded as the inaugural drug prohibition law in the modern world. It was an uncompromising mandate, prohibiting the cultivation, sale, and consumption of cannabis altogether.

Warga Mesir dilarang menghisap ganja dan memasukkannya ke dalam minuman beralkohol. Amanat tersebut memperingatkan bahwa mereka yang terbiasa mengonsumsi ramuan ini akan kehilangan akal sehat dan mengalami delirium hebat yang berujung pada berbagai ekses.

However, like many other idealistic endeavors pursued by Napoleon’s administration, the ban proved ineffective. According to Stoa, hashish continued to be cultivated, traded, and used throughout Egypt, a practice that, if archaeological discoveries are accurate, dates back as far as 3000 BC.

Tentara Perancis tidak hanya gagal mencegah orang Mesir menggunakan ganja tetapi juga secara tidak sengaja memperkenalkan zat tersebut ke Eropa Barat, mengingatkan kita pada bagaimana beberapa veteran Amerika yang kembali dari Vietnam mempengaruhi penggunaan ganja di negara asal mereka.

Efforts to ban cannabis proved equally futile for the French, both domestically and abroad. In Paris, the Romantic movement forward-thinking writers and artists, rejecting the Enlightenment’s rationality in favor of emotion and spirituality, not only tolerated but celebrated the drug that their government sought to eliminate. They proudly dubbed their intellectual circle the “Club des Hachichins,” translated as the “Hash-Eaters’ Club” in English.

Despite the government’s pressure, Cairo, in Egypt, emerged as one of the world’s largest hash markets. Second only to Istanbul in Turkey, Cairo’s cannabis industry thrived well into the late 1800s. However, a series of prohibitions, penalties, and crackdowns led its organizers to seek a new operational base. Migrating along the Northern African coast, they eventually settled in Morocco, where they persist.

Hemp’s Strategic Importance in Napoleonic Wars

Hash memainkan peran yang tidak terduga dalam Perang Napoleon, namun tanaman rami bahkan lebih penting lagi. Rami mampu of being transformed into bags, rope, cordage, sails, and other essential materials for successful warfare. As Napoleon marched his forces toward Moscow, the flourishing trade between England and Russia, Europe’s primary hemp producers, became a significant concern.

Like his efforts to regulate hash consumption, Napoleon aimed to control hemp production. In the Peace Treaty of Tilsit, signed in 1807 before France invaded Russia, Napoleon demanded that Russia’s Czar, Alexander I, cease business with Great Britain.

Tidak ada urusan dengan Inggris berarti lebih sedikit ganja; lebih sedikit rami berarti pasukan yang lebih lemah, sehingga meningkatkan peluang kemenangan. Apakah penerimaan syarat-syarat ini oleh Tsar akan membawa Napoleon ke Moskow masih menjadi pertanyaan spekulatif.

Kesimpulan

Narasi yang saling terkait mengenai ganja, perlawanan budaya, dan pertimbangan strategis selama era Napoleon memberikan gambaran menarik tentang kompleksitas peristiwa sejarah.

The Romantic movement’s embrace of hashish in Paris, the resilient hash markets of Cairo amidst government pressure, and the strategic importance of hemp in Napoleon’s military endeavors collectively paint a nuanced picture of the era’s socio-cultural dynamics. Despite attempts to suppress cannabis, its enduring presence and the cultural shifts surrounding it underscore the limitations of top-down prohibitions.

Interaksi antara gerakan budaya, kebijakan pemerintah, dan pertimbangan strategis mengungkap rumitnya kekuatan sejarah yang membentuk arah penggunaan dan produksi ganja. Kisah-kisah ini bergema sebagai anekdot sejarah dan refleksi dari tantangan yang lebih luas dalam mengatur substansi, budaya, dan perdagangan, dengan gaung yang bergema sepanjang sejarah.

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• Sumber: http://cannabis.net/blog/history/did-napoleon-fail-because-of-freezing-weather-or-his-troops-kept-getting-high-everyday