g the Reign of Terror is to be considered somewhat of a preliminary to Napoleon's approach, inasmuch as his accession to power had the effect of reining in the Terror. In other words, Napoleon was complex enough to recognize the difference between police-state governance and governance informed by authentic and widespread reforms. In the process he appears to have coaxed, with force to be sure, the bulk of Europe toward a species of civil-society modernity.
Though a despot, he was also an enlightened one. In France, he retained key revolutionary reforms like the tricolour flag, the metric system and the départements, and, in the conquered territories, he made popular changes. He abolished serfdom, suppressed aristocratic and clerical privileges, employed the middle class in record numbers, built universities and extended secondary education, made all citizens equal before the law, and introduced the jury trial (Wawro 23).
Many of Napoleon's governance-reform actions proved to be irrevocable, even in the face of multiple revolutions. This is not to say
...