How Did Napoleon Become A Revolutionary Leader

As the leader of France after the revolution, Napoleon was able to raise the status of France to highest it had ever been. Napoleon was one of the most controversial leaders in history because as much as he helped France flourish he also went against many ideas that were stated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen that was put into place after the revolution. The French people did not gain what they had hoped for with their Revolution but when Napoleon came to power he created a revolutionary form of government that combined his own personal ideas with the goals of the French people, which established civil equality and lasting reforms that would remain in Europe for decades.
Napoleon preserved the ideals of the French Revolution
Napoleon completed the revolutions work when it came to the law, geographical organization, education, and land redistribution. But failed when he replaced the basic principle of “liberty, equality, and fraternity” with order, hierarchy, and property (Berenson 193). Napoleon truly believed that by becoming a supreme leader he was fulfilling the role that the revolution asked for. For him, by spreading the Napoleonic Law Code into his newly conquered areas this was spreading what the new France was all about. However, by expanding France he was enforcing absolutism and wanted the control over as many people as possible and institute a regime similar to the Roman Empire. “In this gigantic struggle between the present and past, I am the neutral arbiter and mediator. I tried to be its supreme judge. My whole internal administration, my whole foreign policy were determined by that great aim” (Bonaparte 21). He had complete control over society and this was further shown by his police state that he instituted to monitor censorship, arbitrary arrest, and tight surveillance of all opponents (Berenson 193). With this repression of public opposition Napoleon’s public opinion was extremely positive because the people of France were not allowed to say otherwise. Because he was an all-powerful leader the idea of quality was no longer there. There was equality when it came to all of the people that could not threaten Napoleon but if these people tried to act out against him they were immediately shut down. Napoleon also instituted a hereditary dynasty, which did not give other people a chance to rule. He did this because of the great success he had in France and wanted to ensure that his hard work continued and that he was able to still have his say even after he was no longer in